March 15, 2013

Iraq: New 'Costs of War' Report

"The human and economic costs of these wars will continue for decades, some costs not peaking until mid-century." This article offers a clear summary of a devastating war, the costs of which will be borne for decades.

Published on Friday, March 15, 2013 by Common Dreams

As the ten year anniversary of Iraq invasion approaches research undermines any claims that war was worth it

The listing of the multiple, varied and expensive 'costs of war' end with:

• "While it was promised that the US invasions would bring democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq, both continue to rank low in global rankings of political freedom, with warlords continuing to hold power in Afghanistan with US support, and Iraqi communities are more segregated today than before by gender and ethnicity as a result of the war.

• Women in both countries are essentially closed out of political power and high rates of female unemployment and widowhood have further eroded their condition.
  
  
• During the US troop withdrawal from Iraq, President Obama said that the United States military was leaving behind a “sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq.”  This was not only an inaccurate account of Iraq’s situation at that time, but the country has since become less secure and politically stable.  Although violence in Iraq has declined since its peak, there has been a steady increase in the number of attacks over the last year. [3]
  
  
• Serious and compelling alternatives to war were scarcely considered in the aftermath of 9/11 or in the discussion about war against Iraq.  Some of those alternatives are still available to the US.