Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Damage Cost of War

American invasion to Iraq in 2003 was to send bad news not only for
millions of Iraqi civilians are now living up to the uproar in the
conflict or four U.S. soldiers, thousands of families who died in the
country sekujur the Abu Nawas. But also for U.S. citizens who have to
grope pocket - pay taxes - in order to finance the war that never have
that justification. President George Walker Bush - the war drum
menabuh - akan dikenang also as a president of the United States The
speck of blood. Apart from spend triliunan dollars, Bush has sent the
popularity of fall in the entire United States Jagad - even in the
countries of allies.

Pew Research Center survey said the war has changed dramatically in
the admiration of the United States. Admiration of the world in the
United States in 26 of 33 countries surveyed decreased. In 2007, that
admiration had fallen nine percent in Turkey and 29 percent in
Indonesia. Even in Canada, UK, Germany, and France, the belief in the
leadership of Vladimir Putin (Russian) beyond belief to the leadership
of Bush. More latest Pew survey shows, the U.S. presence in Iraq is
seen as a greater threat to world peace than North Korea.

United States is also no longer be trusted as a stronghold civil
rights and democracy. Approximately 65 percent of the people of
Germany, 66 percent people of Spain, and 67 percent people of Brazil,
for example, does not really matter to the American idea of democracy.
This figure is higher in the Palestinian (71 percent), Pakistan (72
percent) and Turkey (81 percent). Iraq war obviously throw dignity
USA. Not frustrated now citizens of the world always careful with the
idea that each ditelurkan land, including under President Barack
Husein Obama want to change the face of the police''the world''.

Books Joseph E Stiglitz and Linda J. Belmes is specifically excluded
the cost of investigating the U.S. and the Iraq war for the allies.
Costs borne by the Ministry of Finance and that means the U.S. must be
borne by taxpayers trilun between 1.7 to 2.7 trillion dollars. Added
social cost''substantially'', ie, costs that are not caught in the
federal government budget, but the fact that surely reflects the
burden of U.S. dipikul range between 300 billion to 400 billion U.S.
dollars. Total of 2 trillion to 3.1 trillion dollars. Same with the
12-year cost of war in Vietnam and two-fold compared with the cost of
war in Korea!

But with 1 billion dollars, the country can build 8 million housing
units, employ 15 million teachers throughout the year, to pay health
insurance for 530 million children a year, provides scholarships in
the four year 43 million students at state universities. Will be many
more benefits are obtained with a fund of U.S. 3 trillion dollars.

Wholesaler Nobel Economics 2001, Stiglitz and Bilmes, divides war
costs into two: the cost of war at this time and cost of future wars.
The cost at this time that have been issued increased from 4.4 billion
dollars (2003) to 16 billion dollars in 2008. Thus, every American
family has to spend 138 dollars every month to pay for war operations
and 100 dollars per month automatically flow to Iraq (hlm. 63). In
April 2009, the Barak Obama take the 83.4 million dollar fund for the
purpose of sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. According to
research by the U.S. Congress, the total expenditure for the war in
both countries is to become a trillion dollars since the U.S.
terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.

Future war costs are calculated for the U.S. taxpayer billions of
dollars to the debtor of the veterans who are eligible receive
disability compensation, medical care and benefits. The estimated U.S.
troops in Iraq to stand in 2017, the cost for the troops will be 382
billion dollars. This is almost 200 billion dollars that Bush
requested for fiscal year 2008 operating and operating from 2009 until
2017. This scenario best. But, what if in 2017 the number of troops to
the battlefield diterjunkan in Iraq and Afghanistan - including
operations against Al Qaeda - to reach 2.1 million people? In this
scenario, the cost of the assignment troops reached 400 thousand
dollars per capita. While the total operating cost of the future will
be more than 913 billion dollars. From that amount, 669 billion
dollars for Iraq.

For example, veterans disability claims around 45 percent and 88
percent of the claims was granted in part, then there are 712,800 U.S.
troops claimed akan tunjangannya. The average payment in the Iraq War
veteran and Afghanistan War 542 dollars per month per person. Not a
veteran allowance cost of living adjustment equal to the social
security. Look

this data: in 2003 the Department of Veterans Affairs bears the cost
of the 13,800 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, already have
263,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan must ditanggungnya.

For the two-war veteran, the U.S. government should issue a 398
billion dollars (121 billion dollars for health care and 277 billion
dollars for disability benefits).

Membengkaknya cost of war is a combination of three factors. First,
the increasing cost of personnel - both U.S. troops or the labor
contract, the military (the military security service company).
Second, the rise in oil prices drastically. And third, the need
to''pay back''the general equipment and weaponry as the military
equipment can back up and go make a long war Pentagon must provide a
purchase that is not planned.

Matter of military security services company, Los Angeles Times
reporter T. Christian Miller in his book Blood Money also
mengungkapnya. According to Miller, the company is not even afford a
home mengumbar false promises, while the Coalition Government
appointed (CPA) and the Office Reconstruction and Humanitarian
Assistance (ORHA) - the representative of Government Bush - to use the
project as important and sensitive security services to enforce
reconstruction process in Iraq. However, the most eksesif is
Halliburton - a company that is close to Dick Cheney (Vice President
Bush at the time). Even Halliburton acapkali menggelembungkan charge
to the authority while the Coalition Government, including when
appointed to supply oil to Iraq, May 2003. When the Defense Energy
Support Center (Pentagon institute fuel) is able to import the fuel
needs of the military 1.08 dollars per gallon. Halliburton charge 2.68
dollars for every gallon of oil
the didatangkannya.

Stiglitz and Bilmes have suspected excess payments (read: corruption
aroma) to Halliburton. Not only that, get a Halliburton contract to
provide security services for many years, less than needed. Know if
this company never received a single contract that is worth 19.3
billion dollars. Until 2007, the U.S. department of foreign affairs
has spent 4 billion dollars for the security guards. And, the company
earnings, such as Blackwater and Dyncorp higher than sergeant of the
Army. Every day the security guards got 1222 dollars or 445 thousand
dollars a year. While the sergeant only 140-190 dollars per day or
51100-69350 dollars a year (hlm. 41-44). Something that does not
create a healthy competition. Corporate mendompleng war, not only
harming people but Iraq exhaust sac American taxpayer.

War will continue to take dollars as soon as possible if not stopped.
Not only that, a line of psychiatric problems haunt veteran of the
Iraq and Afghanistan. 2000 Survey of two war veterans find this
almost-third suffer interference pascatrauma stress (PTSD), major
depression, brain injury or a combination traumatik. The Rand
Corporation research even put about 300 thousand soldiers suffering
from PTSD or major depression, and 320 thousands have brain injuries
traumatik. Stiglitz and Bilmes, through the numbers that were
presented in our report that the war is really redundant. (*)

*) Moh Samsul Arifin, a member of Book and Film Club SCTV
http://jawapos.com/

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