The US Military Budget Shows Just How Deep Donald Trump is Getting into Syria
April 11, 2018 Quartz
This article features Costs of War project data showing how much money the US has allocated for interventions in Syria.
In the News
Trump Vows Quick Exit From Syria
April 3, 2018 The Wall Street Journal
President Trump said on Tuesday that he wanted the U.S. military to "bring our troops back home" from Syria and "start rebuilding our nation." He has claimed that the U.S. has spent $7 trillion in the Middle East since 2001; the Cost of War Project estimates the U.S. has spent $1.8 trillion in direct costs and $4.3 trillion in direct and indirect costs.
Apocalypse soon? John Bolton is set to replace H.R. McMaster as national security adviser
March 26, 2018 The Nation
The news that President Trump will install John Bolton as his next national security adviser comes at a time when, by some estimates, the U.S. is waging at least nine undeclared wars across the globe. The Costs of War project estimated that between 2015 and October 2017, the U.S. military conducted air and drone strikes on seven countries and had combat troops deployed in 15 more.
15 Years After the Iraq Invasion, What Are the Costs?
March 22, 2018 The Missourian
On the anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, Costs of War co-director Stephanie Savell tallies the devastating costs of that decision.
US Senate Debates Yemen War Powers Resolution
March 21, 2018 C-SPAN
During a Senate debate on the Yemen War Powers Resolution on March 20, 2018, lawmakers discussed the extent of U.S. force abroad and Congress's role in making decisions about where the U.S. goes to war. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) cited new Brown University Costs of War project data showing that the U.S. is taking military action against terrorism in 76 countries. "How often," he asked, "has Congress debated whether those military actions were authorized?" Costs of War Project cited at 4:07: US Senate Debates Yemen War Powers Resolution - C-SPAN
The Colossal Cost of War
March 20, 2018 The Boston Globe
This column, published on the anniversary of the Iraq war, cites the Costs of War project estimate that the post-9/11 wars have cost more than $5.5 trillion.
The Iraq War's Fallout Persists, and Harsh Consequences Are Still to Come
March 20, 2018 Think Progress
Costs of War co-director Neta Crawford is quoted in an article weighing the lessons the U.S. has learned from the 2003 invasion of Iraq. "The wars against Iraq (and Afghanistan) have been paid for by raising the national deficit... 'That is tremendously bad for the economy,' said Crawford."
Parliamentary Debate on Going to War is Long Overdue
March 19, 2018 The Sydney Morning Herald
On the 15th anniversary of Australia's decision to join the U.S.-led coalition in invading Iraq, the author questions Australia's decision, which has led to so much suffering and death. The author cites Costs of War figures on casualties of the war.
Middle East civilian deaths have soared under Trump. And the media mostly shrug.
March 18, 2018 The Washington Post
Costs of War project co-director Stephanie Savell quoted on why, when US drone strikes on the Middle East are more prevalent than ever before, there is so little US media coverage of these strikes: “We all know there’s stuff going on in the name of fighting terror, but there’s not much interest in the details,” Savell said. “It’s considered unpatriotic to question what’s going on with the military.”
Iraq: Weighing the Costs of War
March 13, 2018 The Hill
On the 15th anniversary of the war in Iraq, Costs of War contributor William Hartung uses Costs of War Project figures in weighing the budgetary and human costs of the war.
The War on Apathy Over America's Wars
February 25, 2018 Salon
Stephanie Savell, Costs of War co-director, examines her experience trying to draw attention to the post-9/11 wars.
It Could Get Harder to Track US War Spending
February 20, 2018 Defense One
Defense One cites Costs of War Co-Director Neta Crawford on the increasing difficulty of accounting for what the US is spending on war: “If you look at the trend, it’s toward diminishing the potential … to understand and report what we’re spending money on.”
The Real Reason Americans Don't Care About the Costs of War
February 15, 2018 The Nation
Article by Costs of War co-director Stephanie Savell on what it's like to work in opposition to war in a country that doesn't think of itself as "at war."
More and More Civilians Are Being Killed in Our Name. Where is the Outrage?
February 15, 2018 The Huffington Post
This opinion piece cites the Costs of War Project's map showing that US military counterterrorism activity is taking place in 76 countries.
AP Fact Check: Trump's Inflated Claim on Costs of War
February 12, 2018 AP News
AP News compares Trump's claim that the wars in the Middle East have cost "$7 trillion" to the Costs of War Project's estimates.
The March of the Big Guns
February 7, 2018 The Daily Show
The Daily Show's Trevor Noah displays the Costs of War project's map in the context of discussing President Trump's desire to organize a big US military parade (see video starting at 5:05).
The US Military is Fighting Terrorism in 76 Countries Around the World - Here's Where
January 14, 2018 Business Insider
This article features the Costs of War Project's map showing that the US is "fighting terror" in 76 countries.
Where in the World is the US Military? Everywhere
January 12, 2018 US News & World Report
Op-ed by Catherine Besteman and Costs of War Project Co-Director Stephanie Savell features the project's map of counterterror war locations, focusing on Africa in particular.
Mapping a World From Hell: 76 Countries Are Now Involved in Washington's War on Terror
January 10, 2018 Le Monde Diplomatique
"...thanks to the invaluable work of a single dedicated group, the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, we finally have a visual representation of the true extent of the war on terror."
A New Map Shows the Alarming Spread of the US War on Terror
January 4, 2018 The Nation
"No less stunning are the number of countries Washington’s war on terror has touched in some fashion. Once, of course, there was only one (or, if you want to include the United States, two). Now, the Costs of War Project identifies no less than 76 countries, 39% of those on the planet, as involved in that global conflict."