Center for American Progress

The Iraq War Unnecessarily Prolonged the Conflict in Afghanistan
In the News

The Iraq War Unnecessarily Prolonged the Conflict in Afghanistan

The high cost of the Iraq War was not worth the gains we've made through our invasion, writes Lawrence J. Korb.

An objective analysis that compares the costs of the war in Iraq with the benefits, something the Bush administration unfortunately did not do before its mindless, needless, senseless invasion, makes it clear that the Iraq war was not worth it.

The costs in blood and treasure are horrendous. Over the past eight and a half years, approximately 4,500 brave servicemen and women have lost their lives; another 32,000 have suffered physical wounds, and several hundred thousand psychological wounds, which have led to exponential increases in suicide, divorce, and spousal abuse rates.

The above excerpt was originally published in U.S. News and World Report. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Lawrence J. Korb

Senior Fellow