The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were supposed to be quick.
Clean. Decisive.
Instead, they became sprawling, generational conflicts.
President Trump is allegedly mulling attacks against Iran, while at the same time traders on sites like Kalshi think there’s a roughly 50% chance we hit a nuclear deal with Iran. Strange times indeed.
The U.S. may have tallied the bombs and boots — but it never fully counted the ripple effects. Here’s what we didn’t expect.
Veterans’ Healthcare Ballooned — And It’s Still Growing
Since 2001, the VA budget has grown over 500%. In 2001 it was $45 billion. Today? North of $300 billion. That’s the cost of long-term care for over 4 million post-9/11 veterans. Many need treatment for PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and toxic exposure. And this is just the start — the peak cost hasn’t hit yet.
Interest on War Debt Is Bleeding the Budget
We borrowed to fight. And borrowed again to rebuild. The U.S. spent over $2 trillion on Iraq and Afghanistan, most of it financed through debt. Interest alone is expected to top $6.5 trillion by 2050. That’s money we’re still paying — decades after the last shot is fired.
The Private Sector Profited — But Taxpayers Got Stuck
Contractors like Halliburton, Blackwater, and Raytheon made billions. But many deals were no-bid or over budget. A 2011 Commission on Wartime Contracting found $60 billion wasted through fraud and abuse. The real cost? Public trust, eroded. Accountability? Mostly MIA.
Domestic Infrastructure Took a Back Seat
Every dollar spent on war was a dollar not spent fixing bridges, modernizing the grid, or improving education. Between 2001 and 2020, federal non-defense infrastructure investment fell by nearly 20%. We kept the lights on in Kabul while our own water systems crumbled.
Global Instability Fueled New Threats
Toppling Saddam didn’t create peace — it cracked the region wide-open. ISIS rose from the vacuum. Iran gained influence. Afghanistan reverted to Taliban control. Each consequence dragged us into new, often murkier conflicts. This wasn’t a clean break. It was a cascade.
The Human Cost Was Heavier Than Expected
Over 7,000 U.S. troops died. But more than 30,000 post-9/11 veterans have died by suicide. Civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated at over 400,000. And those numbers don’t fade — they compound across generations and cultures. Trauma outlives the battlefield.
Emergency Powers Normalized Endless War
What started as temporary war powers became permanent tools. Congress hasn’t declared war since WWII, yet the 2001 AUMF is still being used today. Presidents gained sweeping authority, and military action became routine. Democracy warped to fit the war machine.
Refugee Crises We Helped Create
Wars displaced more than 38 million people across the Middle East and Central Asia. Many were forced to flee because of U.S. intervention. The U.S. resettled only a fraction — and Europe, struggling under the weight, saw political destabilization and rising extremism.
The ‘Peace Dividend’ Never Came
We were promised once the fighting ended, we’d see savings. Relief. Renewal. But instead of a peace dividend, we got inflation, global unrest, and ongoing veteran care bills. The true cost? A generation that sacrificed everything — and a country still paying the tab.
