A new report issued by Brown University says the cost of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - and operations in Pakistan - will cost the country nearly $4 trillion. The report's total is more than three times higher than U.S. President Barack Obama’s estimate in a recent speech.
When Obama recently announced a drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, he said America's wars have cost the country $1 trillion dollars. But a report by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies estimates the total cost at $3.7 trillion.
The study includes spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as operations in Pakistan. Catherine Lutz is one of the study’s co-authors.
“The reasonable estimate is approximately $4 trillion for the war, up to... today and including some of the future costs that we are obligated to pay for veterans care," said Lutz. "In addition, another $1 trillion in interest payments on the debt, we estimate will be required through 2020.”
Lutz said costs such as long-term care of wounded veterans, and projected war spending from 2012 through 2020, were included in the figures. Report co-author, Boston University Political Science Professor Neta Crawford, said other costs include lost opportunities because money was spent on war materiel.
As groups of families and others gathered Sunday evening at cafes around Niloofar Square—a middle-class area...
We shouldn’t beat around the bush: Donald Trump’s and Benjamin Netanyahu’s military attack on Iran is...
Events are still unfolding rapidly across the Middle East, so here's a quick recap: The death...
