KHAN BANI SAAD, Iraq – A $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children's hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets
As the U.S. draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted — more than 10 percent of the some $50 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a U.S. watchdog agency.
There are success stories. Hundreds of police stations, border forts and government buildings have been built, Iraqi security forces have improved after years of training, and a deep water port at the southern oil hub of Umm Qasr has been restored.
Things to question?
Was going into Iraq worth it?
How has the War impacted our economy? Positively or Negatively? Why?
9 comments:
Many believe that the Iraq War in fact decreased our national security in that 1) It decreased our soft power in the Muslim world and 2) As you mention, it vastly increased our national debt, which many IR experts are calling the greatest threat to our national security today.
I don't feel Iraq is worth it. Many believe it's America's job to spread democracy and all the values we have in America, but at what costs? We have enough debt and poverty in America to deal with that we shouldn't be doing thoughs billions of dollars in a country on the other side of the world. The was in Iraq without a question for me has impacted our economy negatively. It is putting us into billions of dollars of debt that is going to be near impossible to get out of.
maybe the war itself has a larger purpose then just imposing our views on a foreign country. Maybe the reason we are attempting to set up some sort of infrastructure in this country would be, to make sure a ruthless dictator does not come back to power, one which has ties to terrorist organizations. Were already 13 trillion in debt anyway, whats another couple billion.
haha I would have to agree with Scott's comment, even though it is costing billions to keep troops in Iraq and also to help rebuild their country, as soon as we pull out of there we must make sure that Iraq's military is strong enough to keep control and not let another dictator like Hussein gain power again.
This war was not better than Vietnam which many people have agreed was a waste of time, money, and human resources in which Americans were fighting the same war for Democracy as they are today. I would have to agree with Kody, democracy is important to us and has thrived our culture and economy, however; I would like the United States to be selfish once in a while and think about our economy ahead of others.
I view the war in Iraq as a very selfish move by the United States. In thinking about our economy it employed national defense contractors and most likely employed American companies during the reconstruction process.
I might be mistaken but I am pretty sure that Saddam Hussein did not have ties to terrorism, and that the main motivation behind the invasion was his refusal to comply with U.S. demands.
We used the excuse of ousting a dictator, which is true, but we also befriend many dictators as long as we can benefit from them, and as in the case of Saudi Arabia, turn a blind eye to housing and supporting terrorism.
I think that morally our invasion into Iraq was wrong and even hypocritical, and it is a commitment that we are struggling to maintain but I think that there might be underlying reasons behind it that aren't publicized.
The Iraq War has had a devastating impact on our economy. The special interests that pushed for invasion (such as private military contractors, oil companies, and certain politicians) have benefitted while current citizens are suffering from the waste of tax dollars that could have been spent at home, and future generations will continue to suffer due to the increase in our deficit.
Some conservatives were outraged over deficit increases of "another couple billion" in order to help millions of our own citizens who are suffering from the market failures of our health care system, and yet this war of choice in Iraq has added $700 billion so far on top of our usual defense spending, which even Defense Secretary Robert Gates argues is unnecessarily high.
I agree with all your statements, it really has hurt our economy. I also agree that its good to spread democracy. However, what do you think would of happened if we did not go to Iraq? What if we did not take action after 9/11? would we still be more or less vulnerable to another attack? Can our national debt be more important than our safety?
I agree with all your statements, it really has hurt our economy. I also agree that its good to spread democracy. However, what do you think would of happened if we did not go to Iraq? What if we did not take action after 9/11? would we still be more or less vulnerable to another attack? Can our national debt be more important than our safety?
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