Last week, I took a broad measure of what the Iraq War cost us here in the United States 20 years since its launch. This week, Farrah Hassen looks at the cost internationally.
It’s not just the human cost of the war itself, although that remains devastatingly high.
Farrah also reminds us that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was illegal under international law, which the Bush administration knew full but pushed on anyway. Farrah sees the echoes of that logic in Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, and ongoing war in Ukraine. She argues that victims of both wars deserve a measure of justice, and lays out what the U.S. should do to take a step toward it.
Also this week, Jim Hightower explains how our federal provisions for end of life care basically guarantee elder poverty. And cartoonist Khalil Bendib laughs off the implosion of the “disruptors” at Silicon Valley Bank.
New This Week…
Will There Ever Be Justice for the Iraq War? | Farrah Hassen
A world without accountability paved the way for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ailing Seniors Deserve Dignity | Jim Hightower
Yet towards the end of their lives, they’re left rationing their toothpaste or scrimping pennies for the vending machine.
Cartoon: Silicon Valley Banking | Khalil Bendib
You know the cycle — the bright idea, the “disruption, and eventually, the bailout.
In Case You Missed It…
Biden’s Budget Would Level the Playing Field and Reduce the Deficit | Karen Dolan
The president’s plan for jobs, families, and health reflects the things most of us value. But it should spend more on those and less on the Pentagon.
20 Years On, What Did the Iraq War Truly Cost? | Peter Certo
The war claimed more than lives and treasure — it claimed a future’s worth of lost opportunities. Now, younger generations are demanding them back.
Immigration Policy Doesn’t Have To Be This Way | Alliyah Lusuegro
For 20 years, the Department of Homeland Security has made life a nightmare for millions — but Dreamers like me have seen that there’s another way.
We Need to Broaden Our Conversation About Guns | Nyla Samee and Khury Petersen-Smith
Looking at gun manufacturing rather than just gun ownership can help break down our status quo red-blue divide.
