Tag Archives: international studies

Costs of War: $4.4 trillion, 350,000 lives

Updated figures for the direct costs of war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan now stand at more than 350,000 lives lost and $4.4 trillion spent. Indirectly, another 250,000 lives have been lost to war-related causes like loss of civilian access to food and health care, and another $8 trillion in interest on war debt may come due during the next 40 years.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies has released updated figures for the human and financial costs of the U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. (more…)

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Commentary by Jo-Anne Hart: Will we have ISIS to thank for peace with Iran?

If there is any good news in the ISIS developments in Iraq, it is that the United States and Iran both want to see ISIS stopped and Iraq’s government stabilized. It’s possible, writes Jo-Anne Hart, that addressing the ISIS issue could lead to confidence-building between the United States and Iran. Hart is an adjunct professor of international studies at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.

While the recent military advance of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) in northern Iraq has stirred sudden concern — if not panic — in public commentaries in the United States, it is important to keep in mind several key points. (more…)

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‘Costs of War’ Project: Iraq War: 190,000 lives, $2.2 trillion

More than 190,000 people have been killed in the 10 years since the war in Iraq began. The war will cost the U.S. $2.2 trillion, including substantial costs for veterans care through 2053, far exceeding the initial government estimate of $50 to $60 billion, according to a new report by scholars with the “Costs of War” project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. The 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq is March 19, 2013. 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Ten years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003, researchers have released the first comprehensive analysis of direct and indirect human and economic costs of the war that followed. According to the report, the war has killed at least 190,000 people, including men and women in uniform, contractors, and civilians and will cost the United States $2.2 trillion — a figure that far exceeds the initial 2002 estimates by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget of $50 to $60 billion. (more…)

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New book by James Wellman explores the rise, effect of Pastor Rob Bell

James Wellman, associate professor of American religion in the Jackson School of International Studies, is the author of the book “Rob Bell and a New American Christianity.” He answered a few questions about his book for UW Today.

Q. What’s the basic concept behind this book?

A. “Rob Bell is a fascinating character in part because he achieved his evangelical celebrity so quickly, starting a church in Grand Rapids, Mich., and in a year and a half attracting 10,000 people to the church. He also created new media, the Nooma videos, which are unique and powerful meditative pieces on critical issues of faith. In 2011, he was named, by Time Magazine, one of the 100 most influential people in the world. That same year, he had a best seller, Love Wins, in which he asked pointed questions about the existence of hell, which made his conservative readers very uncomfortable.” (more…)

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September 11 and The Cost of War

The Costs of War project is assessing the total cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. Findings thus far put the cost at more than 300,000 lives and $4 trillion. The project’s findings are continually updated. (more…)

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