US struggles over war expenditures
August 18, 2011 AFP
“Osama bin Laden failed in his lifetime to achieve his goal of ‘bleeding America to bankruptcy,’ but 10 years after 9/11 the United States is still paying a steep economic price.”
In the News
Waking Up: Concern over loss of treasured freedoms, big brother state, in US.
August 15, 2011 The Gazette
“Sweeping new policing powers, the tacit acceptance of torture and a backlash against Muslims that has grown fiercer 10 years after the September 11 attacks have made the United States a less free and open society.”
Fund Drive Special: Cost of War – August 11, 2011
August 11, 2011 KPFA 94.1
Listen to several of the Costs of War researchers interviewed for a live 3-1/2 hour broadcast on KPFA in San Francisco.
Cost of Afghanistan and Iraq wars in trillions
August 9, 2011 PRI
“What's concerning, Crawford adds, is unlike previous wars which were paid for by taxes or war bonds, the US has borrowed most if not all of the money to cover the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Cost of Treating Veterans Will Rise Long Past Wars
July 27, 2011 The New York Times
"Ending the current wars will not lower veterans costs; indeed, they will rise ever more steeply for decades to come as the population of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan expands, ages and becomes more infirm."
As Congress eyes cuts, veterans' benefits must remain sacred
July 25, 2011 The Hill
“The report reminds us that we still don’t know what the total legacy of these conflicts — especially the long-term cost of injury and illness for veterans — will be.”
As Debt Talks Threaten Medicare, Social Security, Study Finds U.S. Spending $4 Trillion on War
July 7, 2011 Democracy Now
“While much of the talk in Washington centers on taxes, Social Security and Medicare, far less attention is being paid to the growing cost of the U.S. wars overseas.”
Cost of post-9/11 wars: $4 trillion
June 29, 2011 Salon
“A research group at Brown including ‘economists, anthropologists, political scientists, legal experts, and a physician’ has tackled the always complex question of the costs of America's post-9/11 wars – economic, human, and political.”
US cost of war at least $3.7t and counting
June 29, 2011 China Daily
“In human terms, 224,000 to 258,000 people have died directly from warfare, including 125,000 civilians in Iraq. Many more have died indirectly, from the loss of clean drinking water, healthcare, and nutrition.”
The $5 Trillion War on Terror
June 29, 2011 Time
“The final U.S. troops in Iraq are slated to come home by the end of this year, nearly nine years after Rumsfeld made that [6 month] estimate. Apparently, his cost estimates follow a similar trajectory.”
Was Obama low-balling the cost of war?
June 29, 2011 Foreign Policy
“The staggering figure is nearly four times higher than the U.S. government estimate. Just last week, President Barack Obama pegged the cost over the last decade at $1 trillion.”
U.S. cost of war at least $3.7 trillion and counting
June 29, 2011 Reuters
“When President Barack Obama cited cost as a reason to bring troops home from Afghanistan, he referred to a $1 trillion price tag for America's wars. Staggering as it is, that figure grossly underestimates the total cost of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the U.S. Treasury and ignores more imposing costs yet to come, according to a study released on Wednesday.”
Price of U.S. wars: $4.4 trillion?
June 29, 2011 Politico
“At a minimum, according to the authors of the study, the final cost for these military engagements will be $3.7 trillion. But the report also points out that their estimates do not include at least $1 trillion more in interest payments and other costs that cannot yet be quantified. Indeed, the report criticized the U.S. Congress and the Pentagon for poor accounting.”
Afghanistan, Iraq Wars Killed 132,000 Civilians, Report Says
June 29, 2011 Wired
“The Institute’s report might serve as a baseline for discussing civilian deaths in these long wars.”
New estimate of U.S. war costs: $4 trillion
June 29, 2011 The Washington Post
“Catherine Lutz, … said the group began its research about a year ago, but that it’s fortunate that the findings are being released in the midst of a major debate about government spending.”
Cost Of Wars In Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan To Reach $3.7 Trillion: Report (VIDEO)
June 29, 2011 The Huffington Post
“ ‘Wars, in a sense, are never over when they're over,’ Catherine Lutz, a Brown University anthropologist, said in the video op-ed. ‘They go on for decades.’”
The true cost of the war on terror: $3.7trillion and counting… and up to 258,000 lives
June 29, 2011 Mail Online
“The study, 'Costs of War'… underlines the extent to which war will continue to stretch the U.S. federal budget and questions what has been gained from the massive investment.”
Costs of War
June 1, 2011 Costs of War
The project has also appeared in national papers in many countries, including Brazil, China, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.