The Cost of the War and the End of Peacekeeping

The Cost of the War and the End of Peacekeeping

Prepared by: Steven Staples and David Macdonald

Date: October 2008

Key Findings:

• To March 2009, the total approximate cost of the Afghanistan War is $17.2 billion. It is projected to be $28.4 billion by December 2011.
• The cost and risk of extending the mission must be set against the prospect of achieving our goals; this cost will be extremely high not only monetary terms but also in terms of private costs to families and communities of lost and injured soldiers.
• Despite these high costs in a war that has lasted longer than the Second World War, the lives of most Afghans remain unimproved.
• The Afghanistan campaign has also meant the effective cancellation of Canadian peacekeeping, as peacekeeping funds have been diverted to military spending on Afghanistan.

Reference:

Macdonald, David, Staples, Steven. The Cost of the War and the End of Peacekeeping: The Impact of Extending the Afghanistan Mission. October 2008.