Costs of War Project

Costs of War Project. The Costs of War Project is a non-partisan research initiative based at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. It was co-founded in 2010 by anthropologist Catherine Lutz and political scientist Neta C. Crawford to document the expansive human, economic, and social consequences of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the Iraq War. The project's work has expanded to analyze the broader Global War on Terrorism, producing data and reports that challenge official narratives and account for often-overlooked indirect casualties and long-term societal costs.

Background and establishment

The initiative was launched in 2010, a pivotal moment as the United States approached the tenth anniversary of its post-September 11 attacks military campaigns. Co-directors Catherine Lutz, a professor at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and Neta C. Crawford, a professor at Boston University, sought to create a comprehensive public accounting of war's consequences beyond immediate battlefield deaths. The project was established with support from Brown University and later received funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Charles Koch Foundation. Its creation responded to a perceived gap in official reporting from entities like the Pentagon and the Congressional Budget Office, which often excluded indirect deaths, veteran suicides, and long-term economic burdens.

Research scope and methodology

The project's research encompasses the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and other theaters of the Global War on Terrorism. Its interdisciplinary team, including scholars like Stephanie Savell, employs a wide-ranging methodology that synthesizes data from United Nations reports, governmental and non-governmental organization surveys, academic studies, and journalistic accounts. A core methodological principle is accounting for "indirect deaths," which result from war's destruction of infrastructure, healthcare systems, and economic stability, leading to increased mortality from disease, malnutrition, and environmental degradation. The research also quantifies economic costs, including debt financing, veteran care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and homeland security spending, while examining social impacts like displacement and trauma.

Key findings and estimates

A landmark 2021 report estimated that the post-9/11 wars caused over 929,000 total deaths, a figure far exceeding counts of direct combat fatalities and including hundreds of thousands of indirect civilian deaths. The project calculated that these conflicts displaced at least 38 million people across Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and other nations. Financially, it estimated total U.S. spending and obligations related to the wars would exceed $8 trillion by 2022, encompassing Pentagon expenditures, interest on borrowed war funds, and future care for veterans of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the Iraq War. Other significant findings have detailed the environmental impact of military operations and the proliferation of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State as a consequence of the conflicts.

Impact and reception

The project's data and reports have been widely cited by major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and BBC News, and have been entered into the congressional record by lawmakers like Bernie Sanders. Its stark figures have influenced public and academic debate, providing empirical grounding for critiques of U.S. foreign policy and the long-term consequences of military intervention. While praised by many scholars and peace advocacy groups for its rigor and transparency, some critics, including analysts from the Heritage Foundation and commentators in The Wall Street Journal, have challenged its methodological assumptions, particularly regarding the attribution of indirect deaths. The project's work remains a primary reference for discussions on war accountability and the true price of the Global War on Terrorism.

Related initiatives and spin-off projects

The project's model has inspired and informed similar research efforts. These include the "Afghanistan War" and "Iraq War" casualty databases maintained by organizations like Iraq Body Count and the Associated Press. Its focus on economic costs parallels work by the Congressional Research Service and the National Priorities Project. Within academia, related interdisciplinary studies on conflict are conducted at institutions like the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The project also collaborates with artists and filmmakers, such as those behind the documentary film "The Weight of the Nation," to translate its data into public education tools.

Category:Brown University Category:Research projects Category:Anti-war organizations in the United States