How much did our wars in Afganistan and Iraq cost? Estimates peg the money spent on $4 trillion, but that figure does not count veterans claims, reconstruction costs and interest on the money we blew running around the world blowing things up.
Now I’m the most dedicated supporter of our military and I cheered the invasions, but I frankly thought that there was a real strategy for a back end payout. During the first Gulf War, I was reading some fiction/analysis war stories on the coming conflicts in the middle east, India, Pakistan…in studying the maps at that time and learning the dynamic, I was convinced that our foray into Iraq was part of a brilliant military economic policy that assured that we would have a forward operating base/gas station in the region from which we could stabilize the region and fuel our own domestic and international economic engine. Remember at the time, China wasn’t even a consideration…at best we were concerned about Japan, but they were slowing and we were building.
And now just look at us. The US is flat broke…worse than broke. Far beyond busted. We’ve got trillions of dollars in outstanding liabilities that, like it or not we cannot just walk away from. Do you think we can just euthanize all the elder veterans or stop providing heroic medical care to the surging bulge that is the baby boomers? No, that surging bulge is like the photo below where a python bit off far more than we could chew….a rather disturbing visual depiction of where we are:
I read with disgust and wonder whether there was any real thought given to the outcome of all this plunder and all this gluttony? And increasingly I wonder, just how bad will things get?
A new report out of Brown University estimates that the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq–together with the counterinsurgency efforts in Pakistan–will, all told, cost $4 trillion and leave 225,000 dead, both civilians and soldiers.
The group of economists, anthropologists, lawyers, humanitarian personnel, and political scientists involved in the project estimated that the cost of caring for the veterans injured in the wars will reach $1 trillion in 30 or 40 years. In estimating the $4 trillion total, they did not take into account the $5.3 billion in reconstruction spending the government has promised Afghanistan, state and local contributions to veteran care, interest payments on war debt, or the costs of Medicare for veterans when they reach 65.
Matt – I truly admire your actions in providing the public with information about the courts, the system of justice and the current state of affairs regarding the law. I am truly stunned to learn of your beliefs about the war, specifically, ‘…back end payout…a brilliant military economic policy that assured that we would have a forward operating base/gas station in the region from which we could stabilize the region and fuel our own domestic and international economic engine…’
First, based on recent articles you cite pertaining to religious beliefs, I thought it would be non-Christian to ‘take something from someone else for one’s own benefit’.
However, due to the media control and black out of true facts, I am not surprised that your belief of the media numbers for deaths due to our invasion of Iraq is so off base. I remember the numbers from a 2007 university’s study (I recall it was from an Ivy leaque university) putting the number well over 1,000,000 people. I don’t have the article (this is prior to saving my facts for future dispute), but I remember the report, the interviews with doctors at hospitals in Iraq, the photos of victims in their death, reports of use of depleted uranium, bunker bombs, laser use and much, much more. I also remember Iraq people leaving their own country!
I found one current source for similar data, but, keep in mind, as with the bankster terrorism of the globe and their take over of other sovereign nations, as wells as, the taking over of the U.S. by the banksters, the media is controlled by the corporations.
Do not trust the media for it is designed to disburse the propaganda of those very, very few people who have the power and the fiat currency.
I remember, as of 2007, over 1,000,000 Iraq people had been murdered in their own country, Iraq. This was propelled with the arguement that ‘they’ had aluminum tubes, and we invaded for the purpose of acquiring the Iraq resources, which is NOT a sovereign resource belonging to the U.S.A.
Please consider this data: https://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/1-over-one-million-iraqi-deaths-caused-by-us-occupation/
Thank you, Matt, for sharing your insight, data, sources, information and opinions. You present another source for others to consider and ponder, as well as, inspiration to explore and research.
Best wishes & hopes to you and yours! Thank you, especially, for providing your web site and your time in keeping it up to date with lots of information.
yeah, who the hell knows. I admit to being deluded into war hysteria…in retrospect perhaps all of that was where it went wrong…keep in mind that when I thought those things I was very young and very naive…..things have certainly changed….i distrust everything.
So you wanted to invade other countries Matt? I think you’ll be changing your tune eventually to see how wrong you were to have such an opinion war is the answer to anything.
The US Constitution grants Congress the power to issue letters of marque and reprisal. These basically allow the Congress to contract out military actions, to outfit privateers and mercenaries. This would have been a simple feat: Issue bounties on terrorists. Osama bin Laden had a price on his head, but at $75 million, it was far too low to do any good.
Here is my proposal:
A letter of marque could be issued to all individuals, corporations, or foreign countries, that would pay amounts as listed below to any entity or groups that could verify the death or capture and surrender to US authorities of any terrorist on the list. In addition, American Citizens would be permitted to outfit themselves as needed to carry out this assignment without regard to the NFA or export controls. Need an armed Blackhawk? No problem, just pay for it. Need some missiles? Sold. We even have some warships we are willing to part with, say some older OHP class frigates, or even some old jet fighters that we have just lying around.
Then you issue a list of terrorists, and the bounties to be paid, beginning with bin Laden at $50 billion, and going down to the lower terrorists. you make the amounts large enough that it is worth the money for countries and large corporations to go after him. He would not be able to trust anyone.
This would have saved us trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives.