Iraq War Costs U.S. More Than $2 Trillion: Study

[Hissyspit]

Source: Reuters

Iraq war costs U.S. more than $2 trillion: study

NEW YORK | Thu Mar 14, 2013 10:46am EDT

By Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest, a study released on Thursday said.

The war has killed at least 134,000 Iraqi civilians and may have contributed to the deaths of as many as four times that number, according to the Costs of War Project by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.

When security forces, insurgents, journalists and humanitarian workers were included, the war's death toll rose to an estimated 176,000 to 189,000, the study said.

The report, the work of about 30 academics and experts, was published in advance of the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE92D0PG20130314

[jsr]

1. Pope says war against Iraq will be 'unjust and illegal'

Remember this news item?

http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Pope-says-war-against-Iraq-will-be-unjust-and-2109326.php

Pope says war against Iraq will be 'unjust and illegal'
BENNETT ROTH

WASHINGTON -- A Vatican envoy Wednesday carried the pope's message to the White House that a U.S.-led war against Iraq without United Nations' approval would be "unjust and illegal."

The stern words from Cardinal Pio Laghi, who met for 40 minutes with Bush, underscored the rift between the president, who considers himself a deeply religious man, and a number of Christian leaders over Iraq.

Pope John Paul II has regularly preached against the war and asked Catholics worldwide to pray for peace and fast on Ash Wednesday.

[bemildred]

2. And for less than zero in return for all that blood and treasure.

And not even an honest fucking apology, still trying to shine that turd.

[datasuspect]

5. i'm sure somebody's teenager got a BMW out of it

surely a couple of swimming pools.

[abbyjoseph]

3. Financial cost of the Iraq War

The costs of the 2003-2010 Iraq War are often contested, as academics and critics have unearthed many hidden costs not represented in official estimates. The most recent major report on these costs come from Brown University in the form of the Costs of War project,[1] which said the total for wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan is at least $3.2-4 trillion.[2] The report disavowed previous estimates of the Iraq War's cost as being under $1 trillion, saying the Department of Defense's direct spending on Iraq totaled at least $757.8 billion, but also highlighting the complementary costs at home, such as interest paid on the funds borrowed to finance the wars and a potential nearly $1 trillion in extra spending to care for veterans returning from combat through 2050.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War

[Javaman]

4. 2 trillion dollars...

what could have been.

funny how there is always money to throw at wars, but always hard to find when the people of this nation need it.

wars are just another version of the stock market. Betting money and lives for a big pay off.

[leveymg]

6. That's on track for meeting Stiglitz's 2008 projection of $3T. Compare to Bush Admin's $60B est.

Please, see, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302200.html

[xocet]

11. Thanks for bringing that article back up. It is a good one. n/t

[Solly Mack]

7. K&R

[L0oniX]

8. K & R

[Skittles]

9. and NO ONE has been held accountable

[xocet]

12. Yes, it is well beyond time to prosecute Bush et al.

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

23. Indeed but there is still time

money went to big Cheney contractors. Yet everyone is too scared to do anything about it

[raccoon]

10. Thanks a pantload, Bush and Neocons. nt

[loudsue]

13. As someone quoted earlier: Anyone who supported the Iraq war

has no right to complain about the deficits.

[Marblehead]

14. running an empire

ain't cheap...

[The Second Stone]

15. The right wing fascists are overjoyed with this cost

it is money in their pockets and money unavailable for relieving the suffering of the poor and sick and jobless.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. Especially Halliburton and KBR

[mpcamb]

16. The ENTIRE "war on terror" was worthless.

At my more cynical moments I think that everyone who got on board knew it and was complicit.
It was an exercise in the absolute worst in human emotions and behavior- revenge, bullying and greed.
And it was transparently that from the get-go.
Our respect, our prosperity and our future pissed away on a pointless adventure.

[olddad56]

17. wait 30 years, and re-calculate the cost. It will be a hundred times that amount,

by the time you start counting up the deaths, illnesses, mental illnesses, birth defects and other costs associated with the use of depleted uranium in the ammunition we used. The people in Iraq will be feeling the effects of that forever and ever.

And all for what? An illegal invasion that had not legal, ethical or moral purpose. Nice job fucking up that part of the world Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney, and Mr. Rumsfield.

[cstanleytech]

19. My apologies but the claim of it being an "illegal invasion" confuses me to this day.

Was the use of force authorized by the UN or not? If the answer is yes then how can it be an "illegal invasion"? True there were actions taken that were illegal and some war crimes were committed such as what happened at Abu Ghraib but thats an entirely different issue.

[daleo]

21. I don't recall a U.N. authorization

Thus the "coalition of the willing" ploy. Furthermore it is now clear that the evidence that was supposed to support the need for war was fraudulent.

[cstanleytech]

22. I think my confusion (and that of some others) stems from prior things the UN passed.

Or to quote the excuse made by the US according to wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_and_the_Iraq_War


United States - The US maintained that Iraq was not cooperating with UN inspectors and had not met its obligations to 17 UN resolutions. The US felt that Resolution 1441 called for the immediate, total unilateral disarmament of Iraq and continued to show frustration at the fact that months after the resolution was passed Iraq was still not, in its view, disarming. Language in Resolution 1441 recalled that the use of "all means necessary" was still authorized and in effect from Resolution 678, and therefore maintained that if Iraq failed to comply with the "one final chance to comply" provision of Resolution 1441, then military action would be the result.


Annnnnyway the entire thing gives me a headache as you have different opinions on if force was authorized or not as seen by Kofi Annan who is quoted as saying "I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN Charter. From our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal."

[Celefin]

18. Imagine if that money...

...had been poured into development of new energy sources. $2 trillion in ten years.

The results of that would have likely:

-prevented the looming energy crisis
-limited climate change to manageable levels
-prevented countless resource wars yet to come
-kickstarted the US and world economy on a green track
-made you proud of your country

Instead we burned it.

[Coyotl]

20. Change to OP title to $6 trillion with interest, plus one million lives!!

Which can't be done in LBN, of course, so just sayin....

[lovuian]

25. Bush legacy and Republicans

2 trillion and all the misery and deaths

History is going to lam blast the Bushes