What Price War? Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Costs of Conflict

			What Price War? Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Costs of Conflict Read the Full Policy Report 24 pages | 2.3 MB ISBN: 978-1-59813-047-8 Watch the Interview of Anthony Gregory Two years into the Obama administration, we find ourselves embattled in a desperately needed debate on the national debt, government spending, and the real costs of the protracted U.S. wars in the Mideast. In his very timely, new Independent Policy Report What Price War? Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Costs of Conflict, Research Editor Anthony Gregory provides an objective accounting of U.S. foreign policy under the Bush and Obama administrations in terms of U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rate of U.S. fatalities in these wars, and their financial costs. What Price War? arms readers with the often ignored and politically inconvenient truths behind U.S. foreign policy efforts. As Gregory explains, "the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been the most expensive and deadly for the United States since the Cold War, and in particular since Vietnam." Many Americans saw this is as a unique consequence of the Bush administration's actions and believed that once elected, Barack Obama would swiftly change the course of America's foreign policy initiatives in the region. However, Gregory's analysis reveals that "in most particulars, U.S. policy has continued uninterrupted even on such controversial questions as the use of military contractors, permanent bases, and human rights abuses." His research shows that "U.S. policy is as expensive and interventionist as before, and in absolute dollar terms, the U.S. defense apparatus is larger than ever." With continually rising costs and no clear end in sight for either of these conflicts, What Price War? provides a revealing case for drawing back troops and focusing instead on pressing social and economic priorities here at home. Anthony Gregory is Research Editor at The Independent Institute. His articles have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Human Events, Counterpunch, Washington Times, Sacramento Bee, Dallas Morning News, and many other newspapers and magazines. Mr. Gregory is currently completing an Independent Institute book on individual liberty and the writ of habeas corpus.