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William
Hartung, "The
Hidden Costs of War" Fourth Freedom Foundation Download
PDF of the complete report
The Bush
administration's war on terrorism and its proposed military intervention
in Iraq have sparked the steepest increases in military and security
spending in two decades, but has yet to offer a detailed estimate of the
costs of U.S. intervention in Iraq to the American public. Research
Analyst William Hartung explores the costs here. . . .
Dean
Baker and Mark Weisbrot, The
Economic Costs of a War in Iraq: The
Negative Scenario Center for Economic and Policy
Research
William D. Nordhaus "
Iraq: The Economic Consequences of War" New York Review of Books
December 5, 2002
the array of costs that
might be incurred if the war drags on, occupation is lengthy,
nation-building is costly, the war destroys a large part of Iraq's oil
infrastructure, and there are both lingering military and political
resistance to US occupation, and major adverse psychological reactions to
the conflict. Putting the different adverse effects together adds up to
$1.6 trillion, most of which come outside of the direct military costs.
one senses an obsession bordering on wooden headedness
in the Bush administration's concentration on Iraq in general and on
regime change in particular. In contrast to the clear danger from
terrorist activities, there is no imminent threat from Iraq. The war in
Iraq threatens to claim the scarce resources and attention of the United
States for many years, distracting the country from other troubling spots,
like North Korea, or from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The
administration focuses on Iraq while slow growth, fiscal deficits, a
crisis of corporate governance, and growing health care problems threaten
the economy at home. The domestic economy and the rest of the world will
take a back seat while the US is preoccupied with war in Iraq.
Notwithstanding all the
warning signs, the
administration marches ahead, heedless of the fiscal realities and
undeterred by cautions from friends, allies, and foes.
James K. Galbraith, "The
Unbearable Costs of Empire" American Prospect Nov. 18, 2002
Bush's war could help the economy in the short
run. The big harm comes later.
Ed
Vulliamy, Paul Webster, and Nick Paton Walsh "Scramble
to carve up Iraqi oil reserves lies behind US diplomacy" The
Observer (London) October 6, 2002
Manoeuvres shaped by
horsetrading between America, Russia and France over control of
untapped oilfields
Mike Allen and Jonathan Weisman, "Congress
Wants to Know Cost of War," Washington Post Sept 21,
2002
Dissatisfied With
Pentagon Figures, Lawmakers Ask CBO for Estimates
National
Priorities Project, "The
Cost of Invading Iraq" (PDF document)
Dan Morgan and David B. Ottaway, "In
Iraqi War Scenario, Oil Is Key Issue
:U.S. Drillers Eye Huge Petroleum Pool" Washington Post
September 15, 2002
Miriam Pemberton, "The
Economic Costs of Going to War With Iraq" Foreign Policy
In Focus September 13, 2002
Larry Elliott,
"War
will hit markets hard, warns IMF" The Guardian Sept.
13, 2002
Michael T. Klare, "Washington's
Oilpolitik" Salon July 17, 2002
It's not just Saddam's
doomsday arsenal that haunts the Bush White House -- it's the thought of his
oil falling into the hands of Russia, China and Europe.
Patrick E. Tyler and Richard W. Stevenson,
"Profound
Effect on U.S. Economy Seen in a War on Iraq" New York
Times July 29, 2002
An American attack on Iraq could
profoundly affect the American economy, because the United States would have
to pay most of the cost and bear the brunt of any oil price shock or other
market disruptions, government officials, diplomats and economists say.
Eleven years ago, the Persian
Gulf war, fought to roll back Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, cost the United
States and its allies $60 billion and helped set off an economic recession
caused in part by a spike in oil prices.
For that war, the allies picked
up almost 80 percent of the bill. Today, however, as the Bush administration
works on plans to overthrow Saddam Hussein, the United States is confronting
the likelihood that this time around it would have to pick up the tab
largely by itself, diplomats said.
John Cochran "Cost
of War: Wall Street Concerned About a War with Iraq's Effect on the
Economy" ABC News Aug. 23
Faisal Islam, "War:
who is it good for?" The Observer August 11, 2002
Bush is gambling that
victory over Saddam will lift the US economy out of double-dip recession - but
he risks sparking another oil crisis
Anthony Sampson, "West's
greed for oil fuels Saddam fever" Observer August 11,
2002
Toppling Saddam might cause less
stability and more insecurity
"Russia
and Iraq to Increase Economic Ties"
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