Krigens pris – krigen i Irak

Krigen i Irak har kostet liv, penger og utenrikspolitisk velvilje. New York Times har en artikkel om krigens kostnader i dagens avis. Tallene er svært store, og de kan komme til å bli betydelig større:

At the fifth anniversary, the conflict’s staggering burden is a rebuke to any who hoped Mr. Hussein’s removal might be accomplished at acceptable cost. Back in 2003, only the most prescient could have guessed that the current “surge” would raise the American troop commitment above 160,000, the highest level since the invasion, in the war’s fifth year, or that the toll would include tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed, as well nearly 4,000 American troops; or that America’s financial costs, by some recent estimates, would rise above $650 billion by 2008, on their way to perhaps $2 trillion if the commitment continues for another five years. Beyond that, there are a million or more Iraqis living as refugees in neighboring Arab countries, and the pitiful toll of fear and deprivation on Iraqi streets.

Det er hevet over enhver tvil at dette er en av årsakene til svekkelsen av dollaren internasjonalt. Men samtidig er det vel neppe en tilstrekkelig forklaring på krisen USA nå befinner seg i.