Iraq War Has Affected the U.S. Economy

¶ … Iraq War Has Affected the U.S. Economy

Since 9/11, Americans have been defending their country. Unfortunately the war in Iraq has severely damaged the quality of life of many American citizens. Many people (Americans and otherwise) feel that the war effort has gone on long enough. In fact, it's believed that it's being dragged out, causing the American economy to suffer further. The intentions of this essay are to discuss the affect the war is having on the U.S. economy.

Many Americans are losing their homes and prices are out of control. Rather than increasing the average income in order to support the cost increase throughout the United States, incomes have remained the same, if not have decreased slightly. It's hard for many Americans to find a job, so most are keeping the one they have. For the unfortunate individuals who are jobless, that means the job market is not an easy place to be right now. It's extremely competitive. Our American families are suffering due to the economy.

In addition to the economy suffering in the way described above, families are afraid to spend money on simple things. The way the current economy is, families are only purchasing the necessities, rather than the extra items. This holds true for eating out, expanding one's wardrobe, after school activities and more. Programs are being cut, because parents simply cannot afford to put their child in them. Restaurants are closing, because they have few customers.

Part of the reason the economy is suffering so much is because of the amount of money being spent on the war effort by the United States. After 9/11, the United States began launching new military endeavors on several fronts, including Iraq. The costs of these endeavors have been more than government officials expected (Hudson Teslik, March 11, 2008). In 2008, the Iraq war had been going on for five years already. Experts were beginning to disagree about whether or not the war effort was having a positive or a negative impact, as well as what that impact would be ultimately (Hudson Teslik, March 10, 2008).

Not only are jobs scarce and money tight, but the cost of gas is soaring and it's becoming more and more difficult for people to get around, especially in cities that don't promote public transportation. For individuals who are wondering why exactly the Iraq war has affected the U.S. economy, perhaps they should talk to a family who has lost their home because of lack of jobs and outrageous prices.

One interesting point regarding the defense budget is the fact that even though it has risen over the past several years, it is still considered to be lower than historical levels in consideration of the U.S. GDP. $481.4 billion was requested by former President Bush in 2008 for the Department of Defense budget and that figure does not include any money spent previously on the Iraq war.

According to an interview published on September 8, 2008, conducted by Bernard Gwertzman, with Anthony H. Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington, progress was being made in Iraq. Cordesman is an expert on military affairs in the Middle East. When asked whether or not he thought local elections would ever be held, he responded with, "Perhaps one of the worst ideas we ever had, largely under pressure from the U.S. Congress, was not to set broad benchmarks or goals but to set fixed deadlines and have a very long list of specific political actions, many of which made no sense whatsoever, no matter how well-intentioned they may have been, and then judge the Iraqis by the result.."

The Iraq war (and Afghanistan) impacts the U.S. economy more than just with direct spending (Hudson Teslik, March 11, 2008). Experts disagree about whether or not war has a positive or a negative effect on the economy. During WWII, the war effort provided additional jobs for Americans and this rejuvenated the famous Depression. War efforts during that time effectively revitalized the U.S. economy. The Vietnam war on the other hand reported having a mixed effect on the economy. The Gulf War is said to have pushed the U.S. economy towards the 1991 recession (Hudson Teslik, March 11, 2008).

Increased military spending is typically bad for the living standards of every day citizens of the United States. However, there are some economists out there who argue the complete opposite.