August 16, 2021
Afghanistan has been America's longest war — by a long shot. In today's dollars (adjusted for inflation) it's also the third most expensive US foreign war ever, surpassed only by Iraq and World War II. Yet, nearly 20 years of American boots on the ground and over $2 trillion spent have failed to prevent the unfolding catastrophe as the last US troops leave Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the human toll has been enormous: over 3 million Afghans have been displaced, and tens of thousands of Afghan security forces and US military personnel and contractors have been killed in a war that's come full circle, with the Taliban now in charge once again. We take a look at some of the economic and human costs of two decades of US military involvement in Afghanistan.
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