http://news.yam.com/afp/international/200803/20080317894035.html
前白宮經濟顧問 對伊戰爭恐將耗費數兆美元
法新社╱曹宇帆 2008-03-17 18:35
(法新社華盛頓十六日電)據曾獲諾貝爾獎的經濟學家、前美國白宮經濟顧問委員會主席史提格里茲說,最保守估計,對伊拉克戰爭已耗費美國四千多億美元,但總金額可能會超過三兆美元。
另據美國國防部統計,自二零零一年九月至去年十二月,對抗恐怖主義的經費已動支五千二百七十億美元,包括四千零六十億美元用於伊拉克。
美國國會預算辦公室去年十月表示,國會針對伊拉克與阿富汗戰爭授權動支的經費六千零二十億美元當中,伊拉克部分佔百分之七十或四千二百一十億美元。
國會預算辦公室估計,至二零一七年,這兩場戰爭的總花費,包括負債利息,可能達到二兆四千億美元,其中伊拉克部分佔百分之七十或一兆六千八百萬美元。
即使如此,與史提格里茲和哈佛大學教授畢姆斯合著的一本書名「三兆美元的戰爭:伊拉克衝突的實際花費」相比較,稍嫌遜色。
根據作者的說法,二零零八年,美國對伊拉克戰爭每月將花費一百二十億美元。當對阿富汗的作戰計算在內,美國一個月的戰爭耗費將達到一百六十億美元。
展望至二零一七年,他們聲稱,戰爭的花費將超過三兆美元。
獨立的「戰略與預算估算中心」表示,目前通貨膨脹調整後對伊拉克戰爭的花費,遠超過一九九一年波斯灣戰爭的八十八億美元,且多於韓戰的四千五百六十億美元和越戰的五千一百八十億美元。
但戰略與預算估算中心去年九月發表一篇報告說,韓戰與越戰的花費,佔國民生產毛額的百分比較高。
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080316/pl_afp/iraqwar5yearsusmilitarycost_080316172004
Iraq: a three trillion dollar war?
by Daphne Benoit
Sun Mar 16, 1:20 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The war in Iraq has already cost the United States more than 400 billion dollars by the most conservative tally, but the total bill could surpass three trillion dollars, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
By the Pentagon's count, 527 billion dollars were allocated from September 2001 through December 2007 to finance the war against terrorism, including 406 billion dollars for Iraq.
The Congressional Budget Office reported in October 2007 that Iraq accounts for 421 billion, or 70 percent, of the 602 billion dollars that the Congress has authorized for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The CBO estimates that the total cost of the two wars could reach 2.4 trillion dollars by 2017 including interest on the debt, with Iraq accounting for 70 percent of the spending, or 1.68 trillion dollars.
But even that pales by comparison with estimates put forward by Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, a Harvard professor, in a book called "The Three Trillion Dollar War: the True Cost of the Iraq Conflict."
According to the authors, the United States is spending 12 billion dollars a month in 2008 to prosecute the war in Iraq. When Afghanistan is included, US war spending bumps up to 16 billion dollars a month.
Looking out to 2017, they contend the conflict will cost more than three trillion dollars.
They argue that administration cost estimates omit several crucial factors: bonuses offered to attract and retain troops; health coverage for veterans, replacing military equipment; and the impact of the war on the price of oil, which in five years has soared from 25 to more than 100 dollars a barrel.
"I think they throw everything in the kitchen sink into the survey, including the interest on the national debt. So it seems like an exaggerated number to us," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.
The independent Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) says the inflation-adjusted cost of the Iraq war is now far greater than the 1991 Gulf War (88 billion dollars) and is on the verge of surpassing the Korean War (456 billion dollars) and the Vietnam War (518 billion dollars).
But spending on Korea and Vietnam accounted a higher percentage of the gross domestic product, CSBA said in a report in September.
The CSBA report estimated the total cost of ongoing military operations in Iraq through 2017 at 835 million dollars to 1.26 trillion dollars.
"However, projections of funding requirements for FY (fiscal year) 2008 and, especially, beyond are highly speculative," it said.
"These costs could vary dramatically, depending primarily on how many troops the United States keeps in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for how long."
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