@costsofwar
The human, budgetary, environmental, and social costs of U.S. wars and military operations, at home and abroad. Housed at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs at costsofwar.org.
Read the research, "The Costs of Militarized Rivalry with China: A First Estimate," by @jekavanagh.bsky.social at @defpriorities.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/Milita...
@foreignpolicy.com's Situation Report looks at our latest research on the costs of militarized rivalry with China. foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/05/t...
Read our research that takes a historical look at the ways the U.S. has intervened in Iraq. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/sites/defaul...
Our media fellow Hammi Sylla talks about how the justifications for yet another war of intervention in the Persian Gulf sound all too familiar and reminiscent of Iraq.
The UN also warned of a growing humanitarian and displacement crisis in Iran. news.un.org/en/story/202...
The UN is reporting at least 30,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced in Lebanon this week. www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Between Oct. 2023-2025, more than a 2 million people in Iran and nearly a million people in Lebanon were displaced. At least at least 5.27 million people in the wide region fled or were forced to leave their homes as a result of the post-10/7 wars. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/PostOc...
The human costs of the US/Israel war against Iran mount: Over a thousand are dead and thousands have been displaced in the past week. www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202...
Northrop Grumman's share price rose 6% yesterday, increasing its market value by billions of dollars in just one day of trading.
There are widely varying estimates as to the cost of this current war. Another estimate by Center for American Progress, using our 2025 estimates, puts the cost of the Iran operations as of March 2, 2026 at $5 billion. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...
Estimating the ultimate costs in lives and money is impossible at this point, but well over 1,000 people have died throughout the region in recent days. www.forbes.com/sites/willia...
The current war may have already cost over $1 billion, with hundreds of millions lost on downed aircraft alone over the weekend, according to one analysis.
www.forbes.com/sites/alison...
Operations against Iran's nuclear facilities last year cost $2-2.25 billion.
This war will likely cost far more. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/WiderM...
Read the reports:
“The Costs of Militarized Rivalry with China: A First Estimate” by Jennifer Kavanagh
costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/Milita...
“The Costs of U.S.-China Militarized Rivalry for Chinese and Asian Americans” by Suisheng Zhao: costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/HumanC...
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Costs of War’s Stephanie Savell on the findings: [9/10]
A second report looks at how anti-Asian and anti-Chinese American racism has intensified along with the militarized U.S.-China rivalry that has escalated in the past decade. [8/10]
costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/HumanC...
This spending could also fund about 85 years of tuition-free college education for all U.S. college goers. [7/10]
Some opportunity costs of this spending: updating the nation’s air traffic control system and repairing all of the bridges currently rated in poor condition would cost roughly 1/10 of what we’ve spent on military competition with China since 2012. [6/10]
The Navy and Marine Corps are responsible for an estimated 33% of the total cost estimate for spending on militarized rivalry with China, followed by Defense Agencies (25%), the Air Force & Space Force (15%) and the Army (14%). [5/10]
This period follows President Obama’s Nov. 2011 “pivot” to Asia announcement. In addition to DoD, the analysis also includes relevant expenditures by intelligence agencies, DHS, DOE, and the State Department. [4/10]
Figure 1: Cost Comparisons, China's Militarized Rivalry vs. Major U.S. Federal Agencies
Over the same time period, this spending amounts to:
· ~ 3.5 times as much as cumulative State Department spending
· Almost twice as much as the federal government spent on education
· 2.3 times as much as the total Department of Transportation spending
[3/10]
The U.S. has spent at least $3.4 trillion countering the so-called “China threat” between 2012-2024, comprising 5 percent of total federal expenditures over the 13-year period and 14 percent of discretionary spending. [2/10]
costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/Milita...
BREAKING: China-focused military spending since 2012 has exceeded the financial costs of 20 years of war in Afghanistan, according to new Costs of War research. [THREAD]
Read the report, “The Human Cost of US Interventions in Iraq: A History from the 1960s through the post-9/11 wars”. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/sites/defaul...
The Human Costs of the Post-9/11 Wars: Direct War Deaths in Major War Zones
This recent justification for bombing Iran mirrors much of what we saw in Iraq.
At least 306,000 people died in Iraq due to direct war violence, with many more dead due to the reverberating impacts of war. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/human-...
If you're not following @costsofwar.bsky.social, now is a good time.
Read the research, "Profits of War: Top Beneficiaries of Pentagon Spending, 2020 – 2024" by William Hartung and @stephensemler.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/profit...
As of 2024, there were 950 active lobbyists for the arms industry — 220 more than during the last years of the war in Afghanistan.
Our new media fellow, Hammi Sylla, reflects on the prospect of war with Iran, remembering the human costs of the post-9/11 wars.
Worldwide, threats to journalists in conflict zones are increasing, impairing news coverage out of war zones.
Read the report, "News Graveyards: How Dangers to War Reporters Endanger the World" by @nickturse.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/news-g...
