Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan War

As I write this the cost of both wars is over $1 Trillion Dollars. 

• Iraq to date is now about $731 Billion and counting at a rate of approximately $3000 a second.  
• Afghanistan is about $231 Billion and counting at about the same rate. 

Let's put each war in a different perspective:

According to the CIA World Fact Book, there are 29,671,605 (July 2010 est.) people in Iraq. The GDP per person is about $3,600 (2009 est.). This means to date we have spent $24,636 per person on this war. That's 6.84 times the about of money each person contributes to the GDP per year. 

According to the CIA World Fact Book, there are 29,121,286 (2010 est.) people in Afghanistan. The GDP per person is about $800 (2009). This means to date we have spent $7,932 per person on this war. That's 9.91 times the about of money each person contributes to the GDP per year. 

Let's total this up. $24,636 plus $7,932 equals $32,568 spent to date not including the cost of the recent surge. 


If our United States Government had given each U.S. Citizen (that's every man women and child), the sum of $32,568 we spent on these wars to date, individuals in that country would be far better off than most Americans who are laden with consumer debt.

If they gave the money to our citizens over 18 we would have have enough money to pay off most personal debt, start a business, invest in the stock market or purchase products made in the USA....each action would in some direct or indirect way put our people back to work.

Instead, we spent these huge sums as long term debt. It cost more than money, it cost lives.
The following numbers are according to http://www.icasualties.org/

Iraq Coalition Military Fatalities By Year

Year	US	UK	Other	Total
2003	486	53	41	580
2004	849	22	35	906
2005	846	23	28	897
2006	822	29	21	872
2007	904	47	10	961
2008	314	4	4	322
2009	149	1	0	150
2010	41	0	0	41
Total	4411	179	139	4729

Afghanistan Coalition Military Fatalities By Year

Year	US	UK	Other	Total
2001	12	0	0	12
2002	49	3	17	69
2003	48	0	9	57
2004	52	1	7	60
2005	99	1	31	131
2006	98	39	54	191
2007	117	42	73	232
2008	155	51	89	295
2009	317	108	96	521
2010	204	65	58	327
Total	1151	310	434	1895

The true cost of the wars is not the money we shelled out...it IS the lives lost in battle. If you total the above deaths to date for both wars, it equals 6624 brave U.S. women and men (soldiers) who have given up their lives for freedom of a people who actually hate us. They see us as an invading and occupying Army taking their resources and killing their sons and daughters.

Instead of losing 6624 U.S. lives and spending 1 Trillion Dollars, we could have placed our nation on a path to fiscal health, pulled our citizens out of financial distress, put our people back to work and gave our businesses capital to grow on. 


President Obama and his "regime" has spent an estimated 46% of the 8 Trillion so far...or close to 4 Trillion. One trillion dollars is a stack of 1000 dollar bills tightly bound Sixty Four (64) miles high. 

Instead of fiscal prosperity, a growing economy, lower national debt, and consumer confidence, we are teetering on falling into an abyss of U.S. debt, a depression, unemployment approaching 40% and national bankruptcy. Our national debt exceeded the GDP in 1993 making the USA technically "insolvent". If it wasn't for credit from foreign nations, the government would have run out of money and ceased to function.  

Do we even know why (or even agree with) the reasons why we are fighting these 2 wars? 

Sure we removed Saddam Husein from power in Iraq, but Afghanistan is a different story.  Did you know we put Saddam in power and supported his aggression in earlier times?

Let's be perfectly honest. 

There is no "victory" possible in Afghanistan. Even the word "victory" requires a definable end objective. What is that objective? Do you know? I certainly don't and I doubt that most Americans don't know either.

The Soviets and British failed in Afghanistan and so will we in spite of our military prowess. To "win" requires a new strategy and that is to "win over" the hearts and minds of every citizen in the country.  Maybe would should have just told them what we wanted and gave them the money when it was accomplished. It would have saved U.S. lives.

Instead, fifty (50) years from now these people will be killing our people to retaliate from our present rounds of aggression.  


Nice.  Wake up people and get involved in politics before they politics consumes what you have left.