New Study: Iraq/Afghan War Cost $6 Trillion -- $40K Per US Family
Per a @NickKristof tweet of a WaPo story by Ernesto Londoño about the study by public policy prof Linda J. Bilmes.
We haven't managed to "buy democracy" (or as I wrote recently, to "spread democracy like Skippy Peanutbutter") even for all that money and all those dead or terribly injured American soldiers. That's because this doesn't work -- we've seen that time and time again,
The US body count has been much, much higher than the military will admit, too. The "official" casualties are only the ones killed in action, not ones who die after, or in unrelated incidents. When we total those, they go past 70,000.
That also doesn't include the suicides, which are around 20 per day.
Jonathan Perkins, author of "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" commented that the money spent on destroying Iraq could pay for food, education and medical care for every person on the planet.
jefe at March 29, 2013 9:05 AM
See also www.costofwar.com.
jefe at March 29, 2013 9:20 AM
I had a scary experience, was talking to friends and N Korea came up, so we were talking about the likelyhood of war. My comment of we would be then fighting 3 wars got blank sares from one of the people. She was completely convinced both Iraq/Afganistan wars had been over for a while now, and Obama had brought home all the troops. Most knew they both continued, but were convinced most troops were home, so it wasn't a big deal.
Ah the joys of biased media.
Joe J at March 29, 2013 9:49 AM
No, no, no, Iraqi oil money was supposed to pay for this. That's what Bushie and Cheney and Rovie told us all.
I know, it's Obama's fault, isn't it?
DrCos at March 29, 2013 10:27 AM
That's about my base pay for a year. Great job, America. What say we go for another? Those Iranians and North Koreans could use some democracy, don't ya think? ?
Joe Sarmiento at March 29, 2013 1:19 PM
@DrCos....
Statists of all sides are to blame. They all work and make war for the benefit of the same small group of corporate elites. And we all suffer for it. It's just that a good majority of us are gluttons for such punishment. I know this because we keep such a government of utter creeps established.
Joe Sarmiento at March 29, 2013 1:22 PM
From Prof Bilmes' webpage:
She is the recipient of the 2008 "Speaking Truth to Power" Award by the American Friends Service Committee. Bilmes previously worked in London, Madrid and Moscow with the Boston Consulting Group. She holds a BA and MBA from Harvard University.
So a pacifist Harvard prof with Russian ties. Sounds like a credible source on US foreign policy.
phunctor at March 29, 2013 2:00 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/03/29/new_study_iraqa.html#comment-3660584">comment from phunctorUm, read her study and tell us whether there's anything wrong with it. This dismissing via credentials business doesn't fly.
Amy Alkon at March 29, 2013 2:03 PM
(1) It's not her credentials, it's her associations. Given who she (proudly, and bless her sweet pacifist heart) is, I choose not to invest my time in reading her. We disagree fundamentally about whether the world is, or can be, fair.
(2) Your declaration that this line of argument doesn't fly has an unfortunate aroma of "shut up, he explained".
phunctor at March 29, 2013 2:47 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/03/29/new_study_iraqa.html#comment-3660645">comment from phunctorAre you disputing the dollar figure? That you just don't like her politics is irrelevant.
Amy Alkon at March 29, 2013 2:54 PM
Sorry:
With credentials like that, her numbers self-indict.Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at March 29, 2013 3:31 PM
Of course it's the fault of Bush. But I seem to remember the he went to Congress and asked for authorization and funding.
And somehow Obama wants to take credit for the Iraqi pullout that was negotiated by Bush's staff.
But none of that matters.
Jim P. at March 29, 2013 3:41 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/03/29/new_study_iraqa.html#comment-3660706">comment from Crid [CridComment at Gmail]They do not. Feel free to do the homework to dispute. I'm reading papers on tipping. Yes, there are such things. Michael Lynn at Cornell School of Hotel Admin seems to be the definitive researcher.
Amy Alkon at March 29, 2013 3:50 PM
I feel really badly about that six trillion in borrowed money they spent on Iraq, although as Unix Jedi would so clearly point out, the alternative was not [ ].
I'm sure Obama could have put it to better use subsidizing foreign owned banks, green energy companies, and buying union votes,
Isab at March 29, 2013 4:06 PM
Statists of all sides are to blame.
Of course it's the fault of Bush. But I seem to remember the he went to Congress and asked for authorization and funding.
There isn't a politician in DC or anywhere else in this country interested in ending the wars and the parasitic love affair between the government and the defense industry.
Thanks for all the money. Sorry about your kids.
DrCos at March 29, 2013 5:43 PM
Yes, on two grounds.
First, her assertion is that it will eventually cost six trill, not that is has cost that much. Her estimate might be subject to her point of view (just as the Lancet's notion of Iraqi casualties might be similarly skewed).
Second, as Isab noted above, the alternative was not [ ]. Coincidentally, I wrote a post just yesterday on this subject making that same point: Nothing was not an Option. So saying that invading Iraq cost how ever many trillions isn't enough, because the cost has to be compared with the alternatives on offer.
(No, I am not self promoting -- there was way too much for a comment. And yes, my getting around to finishing it was due to Amy's previous post on this same subject.)
Jeff Guinn at March 29, 2013 10:20 PM
"The "official" casualties are only the ones killed in action, not ones who die after, or in unrelated incidents."
Did you really just count "unrelated incidents"?
A car crash is Iraq's fault?
Radwaste at March 30, 2013 4:30 AM
"That also doesn't include the suicides, which are around 20 per day."
Oh, right. About 7,320 military suicides per year, and nobody has noticed?
Radwaste at March 30, 2013 4:33 AM
Bilmes, Page 6:
Each of us will have our favorite item in there: Mine is "women's health care." We're compelled to wonder why women's health needs some distinct budget love during war.So, like, this is a continuation of everyone in America demanding more spending for their own particular obsession. Eventually, these things are simply called (in Bilmes' word) "programs," things for which some contractor is presumably making a boatload of dough.
Is there any reason to think special money for "programs" or "women's health" wouldn't have been spent without the war?
Up all night working, so I'll read more of the PDF tomorrow, but two last things:
[1.] Jeff point, that you have to say what you think would have happened twelve years since this all started, deserves a reply.
[2.] This is going to happen again. It will happen again not because the inner loving radiance of the peaceniks can't be seen by fat old white Republicans who like to kill for fun. It will happen because America has special responsibilities in the world. We all-all-all need to learn how to make it go better, and engage the other nations of the world whose experience with Saddam-style strongmen is more recent than ours.
I don't doubt for a moment that the amount of suicide in the Armed Services is skyrocketing; the Raddy is right to doubt those particular numbers.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at March 30, 2013 7:05 AM
Most of the increased suicide for the armed forces, is the demographic. When you look at the suicide rates overall for the U.S. the highest rate is for young men between the ages of 17 and 30, and this is the largest group in the military.
I remember back during Desert Storm, they were comparing the casualty rates to the peace time army in the 80's and your chances of getting killed in combat were less, than dying by accident in either military training, or car
accident. In Afghanistan, your odds in combat were better than if you lived in DC or Chicago.
Isab at March 30, 2013 3:09 PM
The high suicide rates are being attributed to over-medicating for stress.
jefe at March 30, 2013 7:36 PM
Leave a comment