Our Trillion Dollar War

There was a fascinating article and accompanying graphic in the NYT on Saturday which laid out in detail the ultimate cost of the Iraq War in dollars and cents."The cost goes well beyond the more than $250 billion already spent on military operations and reconstruction.," argued Kennedy School of Government Professor Linda Bilmes. Add up all the long-term costs--particularly health and disability benefits--and you are staring at a bill of about a trillion dollars.

This came as news to me and I am sure would come as news to most people. I asked Professor Bilmes if she knew if anyone had conducted similar analyses of the financial cost of past American wars. She said she didn't. If anybody knows of such a study please contact me by clicking on the CONTACT button at the top of this page.

If no one has undertaken such a study before this would be a great opportunity for either an MA thesis or dissertation.