Who should pay for Iraq, Afghanistan wars?

Since 2001 when “the war on terror” began, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports $649.9 billion has been appropriated for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). In the budget President Bush just submitted to Congress, there is a request for an additional $108.1 billion for 2008 and $70 billion for 2009.

The cost of these wars has been largely borne by the American taxpayer, while the benefits of success in Iraq and Afghanistan will reach far beyond the borders of those countries to the world. If Islamic extremism can be quelled in Afghanistan and Iraq, people the world over will literally breathe freer. Since so many will benefit, isn’t it fair to ask them to help subsidize the effort?

USA Today reports that America’s “allies” in the war on terror have provided what amounts to chump change. Countries that made large commitments to rebuild Iraq have paid just 16 percent of what they had pledged.

Most to lose

According to a new report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, other countries committed to contributions of $15.8 billion during and after a conference in Madrid in October 2003. The countries that have given the least are the ones that have the most resources to give — and possibly the most to lose, as some are targets of al-Qaida’s efforts to replace Arab governments with Taliban-like leaders.

The largest shortfalls in pledges by 41 donor countries, according to USA Today, are from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait who spent 17.4 percent and 27 percent of the $500 million each had pledged, according to a separate report released last month by the Government Accountability Office.

Pocket change

These are countries we saved in the first Gulf War. So far they have paid just $135 million (Kuwait) and $87 million (Saudi Arabia) out of a combined total commitment of $1 billion. That’s still pocket change compared to the hundreds of billions it is costing us.

This is beyond outrageous. Here we are spending near record amounts on gasoline and home heating oil — money that goes to those nations that sell us the oil — and they in turn refuse to pay more to help win a war whose victory would help repel the same fanatics who also hate them.

According to the Department of Energy, “from 2003 through 2006, Saudi Arabia exported about $95 billion in crude oil to the United States, as its average price doubled from $25 to $56 a barrel.” During his visit last month to the Middle East, President Bush obtained more promises from several leaders of Arab states to do more. We’ll see if those pledges have any more currency than previous unfulfilled promises.

Send them a bill

At a minimum, we should send Iraq and Afghanistan a bill for what we have done and are trying to do for them, or ask for price cuts on Iraqi oil. Thousands of American lives have been lost and the financial cost is enormous, as we seek to advance freedom for others.

Tribune Media Services