The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has already cost the United States upward of $700 billion – but we can’t afford the war in more ways than just monetary value. A recent report issued by the congressionally-mandated Commission on the National Guard and Reserves concluded that there is an “appalling gap” in our readiness to […]
A Permanent Presence? Dangers of a Long-Term U.S. Security Commitment to Iraq
by John Isaacs by Travis Sharp Download the PDF version of this fact sheet Click here BACKGROUND On November 26, 2007, President George Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki released a “Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America.” […]
Do We Still Need the Big Guns?
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 […]
