by Travis Sharp Published online in the New York Times on January 16, 2008 Re “We Still Need the Big Guns,” by Charles J. Dunlap Jr. (Op-Ed, Jan. 9): To the Editor: Many commentators have glorified Gen. David H. Petraeus’s counterinsurgency manual as the second coming of George Kennan’s famous “X” article. This effusive praise […]
Keeping Troops in Iraq Through 2018 Pushes War Cost Over One Trillion Dollars
by Travis Sharp Bottom Line: If the United States keeps 55,000 troops in Iraq through 2018, about a third as many troops as are presently deployed, the aggregate cost of the war in Iraq will reach approximately $1.1 trillion. The aggregate cost jumps to $1.7 trillion if one includes aggregate debt service costs for the […]
Our $70 Billion Lump of Coal
by Travis Sharp Published in the Topeka Capital-Journal on January 11, 2008 If you are anything like me, January is a time of considerable anxiety. My waistline has expanded after too many holiday cookies and too much eggnog. The sweater my grandmother gave me lies abandoned in the corner collecting dust. Worst of all, VISA […]
YouTube Video: The Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan
https://youtu.be/_B3QBp1MimM After recent congressional approval of $70 billion in additional spending for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the total cost of the conflict has reached $700 billion, not to mention thousands of American and Iraqi lives. The costs skyrocket even further when you take debt costs and long-term veterans’ care into account. Click here […]
Year in Review: Congress and National Security in 2007
Congress’s failure to end the disastrous Iraq War in 2007 masked a series of less visible but nonetheless important triumphs on national security issues.