The Cost of Our War
The dollar cost of our war in Iraq and Afghanistan comes to $12 billion a month, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. So far, the total cost comes to $610 billion. The cost for Iraq alone is half-a-trillion dollars.
If we were to add the cost of human lives, of course, the sum would be much greater. But in times of war, lives of GIs are not counted because they cannot be described in dollars and cents.
A simple query: Has our multi-billion-dollar expenditure in this war been worthwhile? Afghanistan is still dominated by its warlords. In the case of Iraq, we have not even been able to enjoy access to its rich oil potential. So far, our major role in Iraq has been to spread endless chaos.
Just think for the moment that the multi-billions we have spent on war were available for schools, health services, subsidized housing for the poor. Put plainly, our ventures in Afghanistan and Iraq were — still are — carried on at the expense of our nation’s neediest families.
But not all Americans are suffering financially because of our ventures in the Mideast. Every war we have ever been in has produced its well-named Daddy Warbucks. The perfect candidate in our current war is our Vice President Dick Cheney whose firm Halliburton has been the recipient of billions in war-connected contracts — contracts that were awarded without competitive bidding.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
