Washington D.C. – Despite promises to end costly foreign interventions, the United States, along with Israel, recently launched a major military strike on Iran. The assault targeted Iran’s leadership and its nuclear and missile facilities.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington D.C., the United States has been involved in three large-scale wars. It has also carried out bombing campaigns in at least ten countries. These operations include full invasions, targeted airstrikes, and drone missions spanning multiple years.
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, then-President George W. Bush declared a global “war on terror.” This reshaped the United States’ foreign policy for decades. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were followed by military operations in Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, and other regions. Subsequent administrations continued or expanded counterterrorism missions.
Two decades of military campaigns have had severe human and financial costs. Research by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs estimates that US-led wars since 2001 caused roughly 940,000 direct deaths across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other conflict zones. This figure does not include indirect deaths caused by displacement, destroyed infrastructure, limited healthcare, and food shortages.
The financial toll has also been immense. The United States has spent an estimated $5.8 trillion on post-9/11 wars. This includes $2.1 trillion by the Department of Defense, $1.1 trillion by the Department of Homeland Security, $884 billion added to the Pentagon’s base budget, $465 billion for veterans’ medical care, and nearly $1 trillion in interest on war-related borrowing.
Looking ahead, the United States is expected to spend an additional $2.2 trillion on veterans’ care over the next 30 years. This brings the total projected cost of post-2001 wars to approximately $8 trillion.
The latest strike on Iran underscores that the United States continues to maintain a strong military presence abroad. Experts say these operations highlight the ongoing debate over the balance between national security, foreign policy goals, and the human and economic costs of war.
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With decades of conflict shaping global perceptions, the United States faces pressure both domestically and internationally to reassess its military strategy and the long-term consequences of its foreign engagements.
