The
cost
of
war
The
president
has
not
quite
declared
victory
but
various
generals
have
been
quoted
in
the
news
as
saying
that
they
leave
Iraq
having
done
a
good
job.
No
one
wants
to
talk
about
the
costs
of
war.
The
media
claim
about
4500
American
dead.
No
one
mentions
the
many
more
injured,
haunted
by
nightmares,
struggling
with
anxiety,
and
unable
to
find
their
way
back
into
civilian
life.
No
one
mentions
that
what
we
got
for
our
trouble
is
that
about
2%
of
the
Iraqis
regard
American
troops
as
liberators.
But
American
losses
are,
at
least,
being
mentioned.
The
losses
of
the
Iraqi
people
are
pretty
well
unknown.
No
one
seems
to
be
interested.
It
takes
considerable
effort
to
find
bits
and
pieces
of
that
horrifying
record.
But
here
are
some
pieces:
Estimates
of
the
Iraqis
who
died
as
a
consequence
of
military
action
vary
from
100,000
to
600,000
persons.
The
number
of
injured
is
usually
multiples
of
the
number
of
dead.
We
could
estimate
numbers
upward
of 1
million
or
many
more.
Many
of
the
injured
were
children
who
found
and
played
with
unexploded
cluster
bombs.
Many
civilians
were
injured
or
killed
at
checkpoints.
The
U.S.
Army
explained
that
it
took
them
a
while
to
put
up
signs
in
Arabic
for
drivers
to
stop
at
the
checkpoint.
Before
that
drivers
just
tried
to
drive
through
and
got
killed.
A
significant
number
of
Iraqis
were
tortured
in
prison
or
held
for
long
periods
of
time.
Many
children
are
left
with
PTSD,
with
nightmares
and
terrible
anxieties.
The
incredible
brutality
of
war
which
leaves
adult
soldiers
psychologically
damaged
has
that
much
more
terrifying
effects
on
children.
About
4
1/2
million
Iraqis
have
been
forced
from
their
homes.
Almost
2
million
left
the
country;
the
remaining
2
½
million
left
their
homes
for
a
less
dangerous
part
of
the
country.
You
can
just
imagine
the
massive
disruption
of
people's
lives.
Many
of
them
cannot
return
because
their
houses
are
damaged
or
because
they
cannot
find
work.
Before
the
first
Gulf
War,
Saddam
Hussein
had
invested
a
large
amount
of
oil
money
in
modern
water
and
sewage
systems,
in
roads
and
schools.
After
the
massive
bombing
during
the
first
Gulf
War
and
the
periodic
bombings
in
years
between
1991
and
the
second
Gulf
War,
and
finally
during
this
last
nine
years,
Iraqi
infrastructure
is
in
ruins.
In
Baghdad
less
than
half
the
children
go
to
school.
Water
and
electricity
are
available
for
a
few
hours
a
day.
The
US
government
paid
Parsons
construction
– also
involved
in
Boston's
Big
Dig–
to
rebuild
142
schools.
Parsons
took
the
money
and
built
20
schools. (We complain about corruption in the Iraqi government.)
According
to
the
International
Monetary
Fund
$25
billion
will
be
needed
to
rebuild
Iraq.
According
to
the
Los
Angeles
Times
several
hundred
billions
of
dollars
will
be
needed
to
repair
the
damage.
Among
the
damage
that
needs
to
be
repaired
is removing
unexploded
land
mines
and
shell
casings
made
out
of
depleted
uranium
(that
is
still
radioactive).
Much
damage
cannot
be
repaired.
Not
only
did
the
US
military
allow
the
plundering
of
the
Iraqi
museums.
But
US
troops
built
their
encampments
on
top
of
archaeological
sites
and
did
irreparable
damage
to
Babylonian
antiquities.
Before
of
these
wars
started,
Iraq
had
more
than
1000
health
clinics
and
almost
200
hospitals.
At
least
half
of
these
are
damaged
and
need
to
be
repaired
or
completely
rebuilt.
The
Iraqi parliament is even more dysfunctional than the current US
Congress. It is not clear that we have brought a functioning
democracy, of any kind, to Iraq.
This
is
clearly
only
a
part
of
the
story.
How
many
Iraqis
see
the US leave and
say:
“A
job
well
done”?
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