The Hindu : Attack on Iraq could cost $200 billions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 03, 2002

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International

Attack on Iraq could cost $200 billions

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington Dec. 2. A military showdown with Iraq could cost American tax payers billions of dollars, several times more than what they had shelled out during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. One figure estimated by The Washington Post is that the total cost could run as high as $ 200 billions, and much or all of this would has to be borne by the U. S. There is a good reason why the U. S. would have to spend much of the money or the American tax payers dishing out far more than the $ 7 billions they did during the Persian Gulf Crisis about 12 years ago.

This at the time was a mere fraction of the total cost. The point made in The Post and generally known for quite some time is that if the total cost of the military campaign against Iraq is going to be quite high this time around, nearly all of it would have to be borne by Washington for the simple reason that few in the international community are lining up for support, diplomatically and financially, as many did during the 1991 showdown.

In 1991 several countries including in Europe, Asia and the Arab world were behind the then U.S. President, George H. W. Bush, as he took on Iraq's Saddam Hussein. The support came by way of extending personnel and material, the use of facilities or in opening out the chequebook. The United States' share of the 1991 war costs came to about 12 per cent, or only marginally higher than the 10 per cent shelled out by Japan. This time around the present Bush administration has few countries even understanding why it is that Washington is itching for a military showdown much less joining the political bandwagon, opening out the facilities or in a willingness to write the cheques. The Post makes the point that the direct war cost alone is not the only thing that the American tax payer is going to pick up.

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