During the Siege of Sarajevo, the lives of civilians in the city deteriorated from modern civilization to the Stone Age within a matter of months.Paper money became worthless because you couldn’t buy anything with it. To obtain the supplies needed to survive, your only options,aside from looting,were bartering.Cigarettes were the most sought-after form of currency, followed by lighters, medicine, and bullets.If you had enough food, you could even buy firearms,provided you weren’t robbed by the people who owned them.You see, currency is only useful when you can import goods from outside normally; otherwise, the goods themselves become currency.
The same thing happened during the war between Israel and Gaza.Due to Israel’s blockade of supplies, Gaza City plunged into widespread famine in a very short time.If, for some reason, you were able to obtain food, you could sell it for an exorbitant price.The problem is that Gaza City’s economy has already collapsed, and money can hardly buy anything. The food shortage has caused the currency itself to depreciate severely.The most valuable commodity was actually a pass to Egypt,a ticket allowing you to escape Gaza.As for how much food you’d have to sell to get that pass, that’s another story.
