Dave Schuler and his Glittering Eye have called for a cross-blog discussion on options and prospects for Iraq. I’m glad to contribute with some thoughts on the economic situation, and invite you to participate as well, with comments left here or at any of the other participating sites.
Category Archives: Iraq
Guest column from Shivaji Sondhi and Michael Cook
The moment seems to be opportune for some creative ideas about how to handle the situation in Iraq. Econbrowser is pleased today to publish a guest column from Princeton professors Shivaji Sondhi and Michael Cook, who direct the Project on Oil, Energy and the Middle East at the Princeton Institute of International and Regional Studies.
“Trends in Iraq” – Updated
This figure updates the data presented in an earlier post on Iraq trends, replacing the projection with actual figures for October.
Monday, December 18, 2006
At the rate of casualties incurred in October-to-date, cumulative U.S. fatalities in the Iraqi theater of operations will exceed 3000 on this date.
Trends in Iraq
Casualties, force levels and expenditures
Ex post versus ex ante benefit-cost analysis: Iraq 2003-
Now that the long-delayed Senate report on pre-Iraq War intelligence has finally put the Republican imprimatur on the well-established fact that the case for Iraqi WMD’s had been hyped (as well as the absence of a Iraq-al Qaeda link), we can return our attention to a rational benefit-cost assessment for the invasion and subsequent occupation, ex ante as well as (quasi) ex post.
Opportunity cost illustrated
On a one year anniversary, a look back to (one of the reasons) why the National Guard’s post-Katrina rescue and recovery efforts were hampered.
(Non) transparency of GWOT expenditures, and an update on Iraq metrics
While the events in Lebanon and Gaza have pushed Iraq off center stage, Iraq and Afghanistan remain the largest fiscal drains on the U.S. Treasury and the military’s ability to respond to other strategic challenges. In this light, GAO Comptroller David Walker’s testimony on Tuesday [pdf] is both illuminating and depressing. From the Summary:
Some Iraq cost metrics on a one year anniversary
Evaluating the costs one year after Cheney’s prediction of “the last throes …of the insurgency”
Iraq’s electricity challenges
Those who want to see Iraq’s democracy fail have targeted electricity production as one of the key strategic objectives of the conflict. Those who want to see Iraq succeed would be wise to do likewise.