Joseph J. Collins, a professor at the Naval War College and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations, publishes, “Choosing War: The Decision to invade Iraq and Its Aftermath,” which opens with, “Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved the status of a major war and a major debacle.”  Then he continues with the toll in lives and treasure: over 3,000 members of the United states Armed Forces (private mercenaries), over 7,500 Iraqi security forces, up to 82,000 Iraqi citizens, and 450,000,000,000 “dollars” (“No one as yet has calculated the costs of long-term veterans’ benefits …”).  Furthermore, “Our efforts there (in Iraq) were designed to enhance U.S. national security, but they have become, at least temporarily, an incubator for terrorism and have emboldened Iran to expand its influence throughout the Middle East.”

       [added 6/28/2024] Thanks to Bill Holmes for this entry.