In the war on terror, Americans discuss everything from atrocities to alliances, but something that doesn't get much coverage is how much the war costs. To answer that question, Joshua Goldstein, a professor of international relations, and a panel discussed his new book, "How You Pay for the War on Terror: The Real Price of War" on Thursday.
The event was hosted by the School of International Service and SIS Dean Louis Goodman, and was held from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Ward Circle Building. C-SPAN covered the forum.
Goldstein described his book as a non-academic text meant for household use rather than study. The book is intended to raise questions about the monetary cost of the Iraq war, he said.
"A hundred books on policy can be found at the bookstore, but there is only one book about the actual cost of war," Goldstein said.
Goldstein opened the forum by commenting on the recent debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and vice presidential hopeful John Edwards about the disputed cost of war, which Edwards claimed to be around $200 billion and Cheney maintained was closer to $120 billion.
"Both of them have misunderestimated the cost of war," said Goldstein, laughing at his own use of a "Bushism."
To give listeners a tangible idea of what $120 billion means to the country as a whole, Goldstein mentioned that it is about 1 percent of the United States' annual GDP or about what $1,200 would mean to a typical household. Each billion in the government's budget, he said, is proportional to $10 of a household budget. The $120 billion includes the salaries of soldiers, veterans, most equipment and weapons, and what money is included in the Pentagon's baseline budget. "Where does it come from?" asked Goldstein.
Sources for federal spending on the military include taxes, cuts from elsewhere in the federal budget, creation of new moneys or borrowing from other entities. The current administration, said Goldstein, uses unprecedented methods in order to fund the war: cutting taxes in a time of war and making taxes less progressive.
The average household, claims Goldstein in his book, pays $500 every month to fund the war in Iraq. This money comes directly out of income tax.
Gordon Adams, director of the International Security department at George Washington University and author of "The Iron Triangle: The Politics of the Defense Contracting Industry," participated as a member of the panel.
After Goldstein's initial comments on his book, Adams was invited to give a short critique of the text. He argued, despite Goldstein's objections that his proposal of added moneys securing the war in Iraq would be ineffectual.
"The book asks for more of the same. And more of the same is not working," Adams said. "We've paid a dear price for unilateral pre-emption. We're not listening and we might have a good deal to learn."
Adams concluded that cost isn't the most important aspect.
"The question of how much [the war] costs is a secondary issue ... yet not unimportant," he said.
The event ended with a question-and-answer session in which students and professors alike made queries concerning the effects of the war on terror. Jonathan White, a sophomore in SIS, asked whether or not the debt accrued during the struggle will cause a shift of the power of the perceived global hegemonic power, the United States. The answer was a firm no from Goldstein, who said the amount of money owed is far too small.
Many students who are members of the SIS Leadership Gateway class attended. Emily Venturato and Jennifer Arboleda, both freshmen in SIS, attended in order to write entries for their Leadership Gateway journals.
"It kind of forces you to go and do things on campus," said Venturato.
Venturato had not read Goldstein's new book but was working through his textbook, "International Relations." There seemed to be an "equal representation of the facts," said Venturato.
"International Relations" is the most widely used international relations textbook in the country and is the textbook used in World Politics courses at AU.
Goldstein received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the author of several books, including "Long Cycles: Prosperity and War in the Modern Age," and "War and Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa"
