Dept. of Now-They-Tell-Us:

A new cost-benefit analysis by the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies on "The Economic Costs of the War in Iraq" concludes that the Iraq War is likely to end up costing over twice what it's worth:

We estimate that the expected total net present value of the direct costs [of the Iraq War] through 2015 could be $604 billion to the U.S., $95 billion to coalition partners, and $306 billion to Iraq, suggesting a global total expected net present value of about $1 trillion. The net present value of total avoided costs, meanwhile, could be about $429 billion.

So far, the calculus is even worse: $428 billion in costs versus $116 billion in benefits.

The authors are Scott Wallsten, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and Katrina Kosec, Research Associate at the AEI-Brookings Joint Center.

My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer