The Christian Science Monitor has an interesting article that compares the cost of the war in Iraq to that of other wars of the last century. The conclusion — it’s really expensive!

With 140,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the conflict already has cost every American at least $850 in military and reconstruction costs since October 2001. If the war lasts five more years, it will cost nearly $1.4 trillion, or nearly $4,745 per capita. That estimate includes the military cost, veterans’ benefits and interest on the federal debt.

That’s more than the cost of World War I, at least in dollars. In lives, the Iraq and Afghan conflicts account for a total of just over 2,000 fatalities, while the “War to End All Wars” took nearly 54,000 American soldiers’ lives.

By the end of September, projected military costs will be $252 billion — $186 billion in Iraq and $66 billion in Afghanistan — which is approaching the cost of the Korean War at $361 billion.

One estimate places military costs at $460 billion for the next five years, plus $315 billion in veterans’ costs, $220 billion in added interest, and $119 billion for the economic impact of a $5 increase per barrel in the price of oil through July 2010.

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