Increased Costs of Iraq Demand Increased Accountability

The White House has appealed to Congress for an additional $87 billion in spending for the continued occupation and reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004. It is now apparent that what was once billed as a quick yield investment in the reconstruction of Iraq has become a heavy burden for U.S. taxpayers. Those taxpayers deserve to know up front the full cost of Iraq’s reconstruction, and not be surprised with requests for supplemental appropriations throughout the year.

This report from the Iraq Revenue Watch project of the Open Society Central Eurasia Project recommends principles that must be included by any sound funding strategy for Iraq.