Protesters converge outside of the Internal Revenue Service on tax day in lower Manhattan to protest tax dollars being spent on the military on April 18, 2017, in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
A new analysis offers a damning assessment of the United States’ so-called global war on terror, and it includes a “staggering” estimated price tag for wars waged since 9/11 — over $5.6 trillion.
The Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Center says the figure — which covers the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan from 2001 through 2018 — is the equivalent of more than $23,386 per taxpayer.
The “new report,” said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action’s senior director for policy and political affairs, “once again shows that the true #costofwar represents a colossal burden to taxpayers on top of the tremendous human loss.”
Does the $24,000 you spent on the #Iraq, #Afghanistan, etc. wars make you feel safer? The @WatsonInstitute’s new report once again shows that the true #costofwar represents a colossal burden to taxpayers on top of the tremendous human loss. #EndEndlessWarhttps://t.co/bVwVIQVWjO
— Paul Kawika Martin (@PaulKawika) November 8, 2017
The center’s figure is far greater than the $1.5 trillion the Pentagon estimated (pdf) in July for the costs of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, as it gives a fuller picture by including “war-related spending by the State Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security,” writes Neta C. Crawford, a professor of political science at Boston University.
Her report notes that even the $5.6 trillion tally underestimates the true figures, as it doesn’t capture “every budgetary expense related to these wars,” such as state and local costs to take care of veterans; nor does it take into account the funds used for military equipment “gifts” to countries involved in the conflicts.
“In sum,” it states, “although this report’s accounting is comprehensive, there are…