The global war on terror has cost the U.S. $437 billion since September 11, the Congressional Research Service estimated last month, including $319 billion for the war in Iraq. (The Pentagon claims the latter figure should be $210 billion.)
The CRS cost estimate has been widely reported, but the underlying report has not been widely available to the public. Now it is:
“The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11” (pdf), updated June 14, 2006.
Some other notable CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following.
“Military Operations: Precedents for Funding Contingency Operations in Regular or in Supplemental Appropriations Bills” (pdf), June 13, 2006.
“Defense Procurement: Full Funding Policy — Background, Issues, and Options for Congress” (pdf), updated June 20, 2006.
“U.S. Democracy Promotion Policy in the Middle East: The Islamist Dilemma” (pdf), June 15, 2006.
“Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment” (pdf), updated June 2, 2006.
This rule gives agencies significantly more authority over certain career policy roles. Whether that authority improves accountability or creates new risks depends almost entirely on how agencies interrupt and apply it.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.
FAS is launching the Center for Regulatory Ingenuity (CRI) to build a new, transpartisan vision of government that works – that has the capacity to achieve ambitious goals while adeptly responding to people’s basic needs.