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Paying the Price: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War

Foreign Policy in Focus
June 24th, 2004

A Study by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus

Paying the Price: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War 
[24 June 2004]
http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/costsofwar/costsofwar.pdf
[full-text, 68 pages]

Key Findings
http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/costsofwar/

Fact Sheet
http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/costsofwar/numbers.pdf

CONTENTS
Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
I. Costs to the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
A. Human Costs to the U.S. and Allies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
B. Security Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
C. Economic Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Box 1: Breakdown of Economic Costs of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Box 2: The Cost of War in One State: Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
D. Social Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
E. Human Rights Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Box 3: The Price of War Profiteering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
II. Costs to Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
A. Human Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
B. Security Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
C. Economic Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
D. Social Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
E. Human Rights Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Box 4: Women's Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
F. Sovereignty Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
III. Costs to the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
A. Human Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Box 5: Non-U.S. Coalition Casualties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
B. Disabling International Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
C. Undermining the United Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
D. Enforcing Coalitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
E. Costs to the Global Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
F. Undermining Global Security and Disarmament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
G. Global Environmental Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
H. Undermining Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

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