United States

  • CRS report on cost of war, prepared for US Congress (Oct 2005)

    This report published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) concluded that $251 billion had been assigned to spending on the Iraq War. The research uses Congressional appropriations and Department of Defense (DOD) DFAS monthly obligations reports. The report claims that due to the anticipated nature of the war, the DOD transferred money from peacetime funds and also from funds appropriated for Afghanistan or general war. Transferral of monies from peacetime funds is permitted under certain circumstances as outlined in appropriations legislation.

    [As of Oct 2005] The US's National Priorities Project "Cost of War" information and counter is now based upon this latest estimate of congressional appropriations totalling $251billion by 31 March 2006.

  • costofwar.com

    A running total of what US taxpayers are spending on the Iraq War.

  • War In Iraq versus Containment (15 Feb 2006)

    Paper by Steven Davis, Kevin Murphy, and Robert Topel. Analyses the cost of the Iraq war compared to an alternative scenario of 'containment'. They estimate the cost of the war (as seen at a pre-invasion point) to be between $100 - $870 billion, whilst the cost of containment (which implies a large US militrary presence existing in the area at a cost of $14.5bn per year) at $300bn. However, they add $50-$400 billion extra to cope for some 'contingencies'.

    They also analyse which option would be best for the Iraqi population. However, as the previous set of estimates, such an analysis is unhelpful, since they themselves define the outline of the alternative scenario - assuming the continuation of sanctions, a small chance of a substantive regime change (3% each year), a lack of need to station ground forces in the Middle East, etc. Whilst such judgements may not be wrong, it makes the piece largely irrelevent for policy discussion.

  • The Economic Costs of the Iraq War (Jan 2006)

    Economics Professor Joeseph Stiglitz and budgetry expert Linda Bilmes analyse the cost of the Iraq War. They estimate the pojected total direct costs to the US government at being $700bn in a conservative scenario, and $1trillion in a moderate one. They then estimate that additional macroeconomic factors will add another $100-$200bn.

  • The Economic Costs of the War in Iraq (Katrina Kosec and Scott Wallsten) (Sept 2005)

    ~30-page working paper published by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution (AIE-Brookings Joint Centre). Analsyses and attempts to monetise the direct and avoided costs of war in Iraq.

  • The Economic Costs of the War in Iraq (Katrina Kosec and Scott Wallsten) (Sept 2005)

    ~30-page working paper published by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution (AIE-Brookings Joint Centre). Analsyses and attempts to monetise the direct and avoided costs of war in Iraq.

  • BBC News: 'Bush seeks extra $82bn for wars' (15 Feb 2005)
  • Cost Analyses of Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

    "CBO's studies of the long-term implications of current defense plans also contain estimates of the costs of military operations and other activities associated with the global war on terrorism, as do alternative budget scenarios in Chapter 1 of CBO's The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2016."