1341. The Economic Costs of the Iraq War: An Appraisal Three Years after the Beginning of the Conflict
- Author:
- Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz
- Publication Date:
- 02-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Three years ago, as America was preparing to go to war in Iraq, there were few discussions of the likely costs. When Larry Lindsey, President Bush's economic adviser, suggested that they might reach $200 billion, there was a quick response from the White House: that number was a gross overestimation. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz claim e d that Iraq could “really finance its own reconstruction,” apparently both underestimating what was required and the debt burden facing the country. Lindsey went on to say that “The successful prosecution of the war would be good for the economy.”
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, America, and Middle East