Wars kill people directly, through violence, and indirectly, through reverberating effects such as the destruction of infrastructure such as healthcare systems. More
Photo Credit: Afghan refugee girls sit behind a wooden cart in a slum in Pakistan. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
When calculating the U.S. federal price tag for wars, it is important to look beyond direct congressional war appropriations to spending on items like U.S. veterans’ health care and interest on war borrowing. Military spending also entails other broad costs to the U.S. economy, and has "opportunity costs." More
Wars erode civil liberties and human rights and have many other social and political costs. The U.S. has expanded counterterrorism operations across the globe, bolstering government repression in many countries. More
Wars and military operations contribute significantly to climate change and destroy environments, with many negative consequences for population health. MORE