The Costs of War Project

Read the research, "The Employment Impacts of Cuts to Federal Spending: Not All Cuts Are Created Equal," by Heidi Peltier. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/employ...

In 2024, at least 61% of the discretionary budget went towards military-related spending.

Join DismantleTheMic.org on Dec. 11 at 6pm ET for a webinar on stopping the war machine, featuring Julian Aguon, Brittany DeBarros and Costs of War contributor William Hartung.

Register: tinyurl.com/StopWarMachine

The War on Terror Set the Stage for Deadly Caribbean Boat Strikes The recent deadly strikes on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean happened thanks to the war on terror's legacy.

The Trump administration's drone strikes in the Caribbean are "less of an aberration and more of a continuation and intensification of the War on Terror," notes our forthcoming contributor @elizabethrb.bsky.social in @inkstickmedia.com. inkstickmedia.com/the-war-on-t...

Counting indirect deaths, an estimated 4.5 million people have died in the U.S. post-9/11 wars. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/papers/how-d...

Chart: Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars: Direct War Deaths in Major War Zones

An estimated 929,000 people died in the post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Nearly 400,000 of them were civilians. [2/3] costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/human-...

Trump says US land action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela will start ‘very soon’ | CNN Politics President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that the United States is preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela, telling service members during a Thanksgiving c...

The Trump administration is reportedly considering ground operations in Venezuela to fight "terrorism". If Afghanistan and Iraq are any indicator, these actions will likely harm countless civilians. [1/3]
www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/p...

Costs of War co-founder @cathylutz.bsky.social on why now is the time to question the "military normal": substack.com/home/post/p-...

Exclusive: We Followed the Money to Raytheon in North Carolina We got hundreds of pages of public records about a controversial deal to offer tens of millions of state and local subsidies to a new Raytheon/Pratt & Whitney plant in Asheville.

Records show that Raytheon was allowed to claim about half a million dollars in tax refunds for jobs it did not create, reports @inkstickmedia.com and Carolina Public Press. inkstick.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

Read the analysis by Eva Maria Rey Pinto, "The Militarization of Toys," — the latest in the Consuming War series. [END] costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/consum...

Embedding military values into toys blurs the line between play and real-world militarism. The glorification and romanticization of war obscure its consequences — human, environmental, financial, and beyond. [6/7]

From 1989 to 1991, over 60,000 military Barbie dolls were sold on U.S. military bases around the world. [5/7]

For over two centuries, mass-produced toys have spread war-related worldviews.

Mattel created its “Military Barbie” by partnering with the Pentagon in 1989. According to an Army public affairs officer, the doll was intended to inspire girls to become soldiers. [4/7]

Five years into the U.S. war in Iraq, an online search for “G.I. Joe” produced at least 35 obituaries for military personnel that mentioned the toy as inspiration for serving. [3/7]

After 9/11, war toys surged in popularity. G.I. Joe generated roughly $80 million in sales in 2001, doubling over the prior year. [2/7]

The connections between play, patriotism and war run deep. Our latest cultural analysis looks at the militarization of toys. [THREAD]

Costs of War contributor Noah Coburn wrote about the broken special immigrant visa process that has put the lives of thousands of applicants who worked with the US government in Afghanistan at risk. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/costs-...

US State Department stops processing visas for Afghan allies The order effectively suspends the special immigration program for Afghans who helped the United States during its 20-year-long occupation of their home country.

The Trump administration halted special immigrant visas from Afghanistan after a former member of one of Afghanistan's CIA-backed units was accused of shooting two U.S. National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. [1/2] www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

Costs of War contributor Noah Coburn wrote about the broken special immigrant visa process that has put the lives of thousands of applicants who worked with the US government in Afghanistan at risk. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/costs-...

US State Department stops processing visas for Afghan allies The order effectively suspends the special immigration program for Afghans who helped the United States during its 20-year-long occupation of their home country.

The Trump administration halted special immigrant visas from Afghanistan after a former member of one of Afghanistan's CIA-backed units was accused of shooting two U.S. National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. [1/2] www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

The U.S. conducted counterterrorism operations in 78 countries between 2021 and 2023. In many of these operations, Congress relinquished its constitutionally assigned war powers. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/united...

White House gives Maduro ultimatum as U.S. moves toward land operations The call quickly reached an impasse as it became clear that the two sides’ positions were far apart.

The so-called "War on Terror" looks poised to continue in Venezuela without congressional authorization.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

Read the research, "Deserted: The U.S. Military's Sexual Assault Crisis as a Cost of War" by Jennifer Greenburg. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/desert...

On average, over the course of the war in Afghanistan, 24 percent of active-duty women and 1.9 percent of active-duty men experienced sexual assault.

Sexual assault prevalence in the military is likely two to four times higher than official government estimations.

Read the joint research with @quincyinst.bsky.social by Hartung and @stephensemler.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/profit...

'Trillion Dollar War Machine': Understanding US Militarism and How to Dismantle It | Common Dreams ​William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman's extremely timely and necessary book explains how today's crises are the predictable consequence of an entrenched system of militarism, a politics captured by lobb...

A new book by Costs of War contributor William Hartung and Ben Freeman looks at how we got to a trillion dollar military budget — more than half of which goes to military contractors. www.commondreams.org/opinion/tril...

The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War The military has for years (unlike many politicians) acknowledged that climate change is real, creating conditions so extreme that some military officials fe...

War = climate change. mitpress.mit.edu/978026204748...

In a first, Ukraine plans to seek nearly $44 billion in damages from Russia for emissions caused by the ongoing war. time.com/7335449/ukra...

Over 10 percent of Gaza's population has been killed or injured since Oct. 7, 2023.

Read the research. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/HumanT...

Gaza: Two children killed every day during fragile ceasefire, says UNICEF Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday.

Since the agreed upon ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, 67 Palestinian children have been killed in “conflict related incidents,” says UNICEF. news.un.org/en/story/202...