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Part III: The Forever Wars and the New Ones (2001–Present)

"Twenty years from now, we'll still be reckoning with the high societal costs of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars — long after U.S. forces are gone." — Stephanie Savell, co-director, Costs of War Project, Brown University

"A whole civilization will die." — President Donald Trump, threatening Iran on social media, April 7, 2026

Running Tally from Parts 1A & 1B

From 1945 to 2001, the American Empire killed approximately 14–17 million people and spent $35+ trillion (inflation-adjusted) on wars, coups, proxy wars, and the Cold War military machine.

Then the towers fell. And everything got worse.

September 11, 2001: The Pretext

3,000 Americans died on September 11, 2001. The grief was real. The anger was justified.

NOT what followed.

The 9/11 hijackers:

15 Saudis, 2 from the UAE, 1 Egyptian, 1 Lebanese. Zero Afghans. Zero Iraqis. The United States responded by invading Afghanistan and Iraq, killing millions, spending trillions, and making the world immeasurably more dangerous — while never holding Saudi Arabia accountable and continuing to sell the Saudi monarchy hundreds of billions in weapons.

The "War on Terror" was not a war. It was a business model. A transfer of wealth from the American public to defense contractors, from Iraqi oil fields to ExxonMobil shareholders, from Afghan opium fields to CIA black budgets.

The total cost, per Brown University's Costs of War Project: $8 trillion and 4.5–4.7 million dead — and counting.

The Afghanistan War (2001–2021)

Twenty years. $2.3 trillion. And back to square one.

The Setup:

The Taliban offered to hand over Osama bin Laden, twice.

On September 20, 2001, the Taliban offered to extradite bin Laden to a third country if the U.S. provided evidence. In October, they offered to try him in Pakistan.

Bush refused both times. He wanted war, not justice.

A targeted special forces operation could have gotten bin Laden — that's exactly what happened in 2011, in Pakistan, where bin Laden had been hiding the entire time. The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan was never necessary.

What Was Destroyed:

Remember: before the CIA created the mujahideen in 1979, Afghanistan was modernizing. Women attended university and were allowed to wear mini-skirts.

The 2001 invasion didn't rescue Afghanistan from the Taliban. It continued a cycle of destruction the U.S. started in 1979.

The Deaths:

  • Afghan Civilians Killed Directly: 46,000+ (Brown University Costs of War Project)
  • Afghan Soldiers/Police Killed: 69,000+
  • Taliban and Opposition Fighters Killed: 52,000+
  • U.S. Soldiers Killed: 2,459
  • U.S. Contractors Killed: 3,917
  • Indirect Deaths (Disease, Displacement, and Starvation): Estimated 3.6–3.8 million across all post-9/11 war zones (Costs of War, 2023 estimate)
  • Total Afghanistan Zone Deaths: 240,000+ direct
  • U.S. Veterans Dead by Suicide (ALL Post-9/11 Wars): 30,000+
    • four times the combat death toll

The Atrocities:

  • Kunduz Hospital Bombing (October 3, 2015): U.S. forces bombed a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, aka Doctors Without Borders) hospital, killing 42 people, both patients and staff. MSF had provided exact coordinates repeatedly. The U.S. called it an accident. No one was criminally charged.
  • Wedding Bombings: Multiple U.S. airstrikes hit wedding parties and funerals. "Signature strikes" killed civilians routinely.
  • Night Raids: U.S. special forces raided Afghan homes, killing civilians in their beds.
  • Bagram Detention: Prisoners held without charge, tortured. Two prisoners beaten to death by U.S. soldiers in 2002. The soldiers received slaps on the wrist.
  • CIA "Black Sites": Secret prisons where "enhanced interrogation" (torture) was carried out. Waterboarding, stress positions, sleep deprivation, and rectal feeding.

The Collapse (August 2021): After Trump negotiated directly with the Taliban (excluding the Afghan government), Biden executed the withdrawal. The Afghan army (300,000 "ghost soldiers" who never existed) melted away in days.

The Taliban took Kabul on August 15, 2021. Twenty years, $2.3 trillion, and the Taliban is back in power. Girls can't go to school. Women can't work. Everything the U.S. claimed to have built was a mirage.

Who's Responsible?

The Villains:

  • George W. Bush — Invaded, rejected Taliban surrender offers
  • Dick Cheney — Architect. "We're going to the dark side."
  • Donald Rumsfeld — Secretary of Defense, authorized torture, dismissed concerns about looting and chaos
  • Barack Obama — Escalated with 30,000-troop surge (2009), expanded drone warfare
  • Donald Trump — Negotiated capitulation deal with Taliban, excluded Afghan government
  • Joe Biden — Executed chaotic withdrawal, abandoned Afghan allies
  • Every member of Congress who voted for the 2001 AUMF — except Barbara Lee (D-CA), the sole dissenter

The Corporate Beneficiaries:

  • Lockheed Martin: $35+ billion in Afghanistan contracts
  • Boeing: $10+ billion
  • General Dynamics: $8+ billion
  • Raytheon: $7+ billion
  • Northrop Grumman: $6+ billion
  • KBR (Halliburton subsidiary): Billions in logistics
  • DynCorp: $3+ billion (mercenaries and "security")
  • Blackwater (renamed Academi, now Constellis): Billions in private military contracts

The Dollar Cost:

  • Brown University Costs of War Project: $2.3 trillion for the Afghanistan/Pakistan war zone
  • Veterans' Care through 2050: $2.2–2.5 trillion (across all post-9/11 wars)
  • Interest on War Borrowing: Trillions more over coming decades

The Iraq War (2003–2011, Then 2014–Present)

The greatest crime of the 21st century (so far). Built entirely on lies.

The Lies:
  • "Weapons of Mass Destruction": There were none. The Bush administration knew the intelligence was weak. They cherry-picked what supported war, and fabricated the rest.
  • Colin Powell's UN Speech (February 5, 2003): Powell presented fabricated evidence.
    • Satellite photos of "mobile weapons labs"
      • they were hydrogen generators for weather balloons
    • claims of aluminum tubes for centrifuges
      • they were for conventional rockets
    • testimony from a source codenamed "Curveball"
      • who was a known liar.
    • Powell later called it a "blot" on his record. A million Iraqis died for that blot.
  • The Office of Special Plans: Doug Feith's Pentagon unit created a shadow intelligence operation to produce the conclusions Cheney and Rumsfeld wanted, bypassing the CIA and DIA.
  • Condoleezza Rice: "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." Designed to terrify the public into supporting war.
  • Alberto Gonzales: Called the Geneva Conventions "quaint." Authorized torture.
  • John Yoo: Wrote the "Torture Memos" that legally justified waterboarding, stress positions, and other crimes.
The Deaths:
  • Iraqi Civilians Killed:
    • Estimates range from 200,000 (Iraq Body Count, direct documented deaths) to 1,000,000+ (Lancet study, 2006; ORB survey, 2007).
    • The Lancet study, published in one of the world's most respected medical journals, estimated 654,965 excess deaths through June 2006 with the war continuing for five more years after that.
  • Iraqi Soldiers/Fighters Killed: 35,000+
  • U.S. Soldiers Killed: 4,599
  • U.S. Contractors Killed: 3,650+
  • Coalition forces killed: 318
  • Displaced: 4.7 million Iraqis (2 million internal, 2+ million to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey) — the largest refugee crisis since the Palestinians in 1948
  • Journalists Killed: 275+ over 4 years (the deadliest conflict for press until Gaza)

The Atrocities:

  • Abu Ghraib (2004): U.S. soldiers tortured, sexually humiliated, and photographed Iraqi prisoners.
    • The images shocked the world.
    • No senior official was held accountable.
    • The soldiers were following policies authorized at the highest levels.
  • Fallujah (2004): Two major U.S. assaults on the city.
    • The second (November 2004) used white phosphorus against a city of 300,000.
    • Cancer rates and birth defects in Fallujah remain elevated decades later
      • worse than Hiroshima, according to some studies.
  • Haditha Massacre (November 2005): U.S. Marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, after an IED killed a Marine.
    • The initial cover-up called them "insurgents."
    • One Marine was convicted, but was sentenced to no jail time.
  • Blackwater Nisour Square Massacre (September 2007):
    • Blackwater mercenaries opened fire on Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad traffic circle, killing 17.
    • Blackwater's founder, Erik Prince, faced no consequences.
    • He later proposed privatizing the Afghanistan war and went on to advise Trump.
    • Four guards were convicted, then was pardoned by Trump in 2020.
  • "Collateral Murder" Video (2010):
    • WikiLeaks released footage of a U.S. Apache helicopter killing 12 people in Baghdad, including two Reuters journalists.
    • The crew laughed as they fired.
    • Chelsea Manning, who leaked the video, was imprisoned.
    • Julian Assange, who published it, has been persecuted for over a decade.
  • $8–12 billion in Cash 'Disappeared':
    • Pallets of shrink-wrapped hundred-dollar bills were flown into Iraq.
    • Billions vanished
    • The largest theft of public funds in American history (so far.
Who's Responsible

The Villains:

  • George W. Bush: Ordered the invasion based on lies. Now paints shitty portraits.
  • Dick Cheney: The architect. Former CEO of Halliburton (1995–2000), received deferred compensation while VP as Halliburton received $40+ billion in Iraq contracts. War profiteer.
  • Donald Rumsfeld: Planned the invasion, authorized torture. The same man who shook Saddam's hand in 1983.
  • Colin Powell: Lied at the UN. Later expressed regret. Died in 2021, and got eulogized as a "statesman."
  • Condoleezza Rice: "Mushroom cloud."
  • Paul Wolfowitz:
    • Deputy Secretary of Defense, neocon architect.
    • Claimed Iraq would be a "cakewalk" and would "pay for itself" with oil revenue.
    • I mean, HE got paid
  • Doug Feith: Created the Office of Special Plans. General Tommy Franks called him "the stupidest fucking guy on the face of the earth."
  • George Tenet: CIA Director who provided the false intelligence, and called the WMD case a "slam dunk."
  • John Yoo: Torture memo author who's now a law professor at UC Berkeley.
  • Erik Prince: Blackwater founder, now advising the Trump administration on private military ventures.

The Corporate Beneficiaries:

  • Halliburton/KBR:
    • $40+ billion (logistics, fuel, construction).
    • No-bid contracts.
    • Dick Cheney's company.
  • Blackwater (Academi/Constellis): $1.5+ billion. Mercenaries with no accountability.
  • Lockheed Martin: $23+ billion
  • Boeing: $18+ billion
  • Raytheon: $12+ billion
  • General Dynamics: $10+ billion
  • Northrop Grumman: $9+ billion
  • Bechtel: $3+ billion (infrastructure reconstruction — largely unfinished)
  • DynCorp: $3+ billion
  • Fluor and Parsons: $1+ billion each
  • ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and Chevron: All received Iraqi oil field contracts post-2009
  • From 2020 to 2024 alone and Private Firms Received $2.4 trillion in Pentagon Contracts: 54% of the department's discretionary spending.

The Dollar Cost:

  • Direct Military Spending: $800 billion–$1 trillion (2003–2011)
  • Brown University Total (Iraq/Syria Zone): $2.1 trillion+
  • Long-Term (Veterans and Interest): $3+ trillion
  • $60 billion: spent on "reconstruction"
    • much of it stolen, wasted, or never completed.
    • Baghdad still averaged 6–8 hours of electricity per day when U.S. forces left (pre-war: 24 hours).

Then ISIS (2014):

The Iraq War created ISIS.

When Paul Bremer disbanded the Iraqi army (May 2003), 400,000 trained, armed men were suddenly unemployed. Many ended up in ISIS.

The prisons the U.S. built (including Camp Bucca) became radicalization factories. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the future ISIS leader, was radicalized in U.S. detention. The U.S. spent trillions destroying Iraq, then spent billions more fighting the monster it created.

Libya (2011)

What Happened:

The Obama administration, led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pushed for NATO intervention during the Arab Spring uprising against Gaddafi. The UN authorized a no-fly zone to "protect civilians." NATO turned it into regime change. Gaddafi was captured and killed (sodomized with a bayonet on camera).

Clinton's Reaction: "We came, we saw, he died" (laughing).

The Result: Libya is now a failed state. Open-air slave markets (selling African migrants). Three competing governments. Weapons from Gaddafi's arsenals flooded into Syria, Mali, and across the Sahel, fueling multiple wars. ISIS established a foothold.

The Deaths: 30,000+ (direct + ongoing civil war)

The Villains: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, Samantha Power

The Dollar Cost: $1+ billion (direct U.S. military), untold billions in downstream regional destabilization

Reparations Owed (Platform Estimate): $300 billion

Syria (2011–Present)

What the U.S. Did: The CIA armed and funded Syrian rebel groups (Timber Sycamore program, $1+ billion) to overthrow Assad. Many of those weapons ended up with extremist groups, including Al-Qaeda affiliates.

The U.S. also bombed ISIS in Syria (killing thousands of civilians in Raqqa and elsewhere), occupied Syria's oil-producing northeast, and imposed crippling sanctions that devastated the civilian population.

The Deaths (Overall Syrian Civil War): 500,000+ killed. 13 million displaced (6.7 million internally, 6.7 million refugees). The U.S. didn't cause the entire war, but it prolonged it, armed it, and blocked resolution.

The Dollar Cost: Classified CIA spending (estimated $1+ billion for Timber Sycamore), plus military operations

Reparations Owed (Platform Estimate): $400 billion

Yemen (2015–Present)

What the U.S. Did:

The U.S. backed Saudi Arabia's bombing campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels providing weapons, intelligence, targeting data, and mid-air refueling for Saudi bombers. The result is what the UN called "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

The Deaths:

  • 377,000+ Killed (UN estimate through 2022, combining direct combat and indirect deaths from starvation and disease)
  • 85,000 Children under 5 Starved to Death (Save the Children estimate, 2018 — number far higher now)
  • Cholera epidemic: Largest in modern history (2.5 million+ cases)
  • Famine: 16 million people food-insecure

The Villains:

  • Barack Obama: Started U.S. support for Saudi bombing (2015)
  • Donald Trump: Escalated. Vetoed Congressional resolution to end U.S. involvement. Sold $110 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia.
  • Joe Biden: Promised to end support, mostly didn't
  • Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) — Ordered the war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The U.S. continued selling him weapons.

The Dollar Cost: $100+ billion in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia during this period

Reparations Owed (Platform Estimate): $500 billion

The Drone Wars (2002–Present)

Across Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and elsewhere, the U.S. has conducted thousands of drone strikes. Killing combatants, civilians, wedding parties, funerals, and first responders (double-tap strikes that hit rescuers arriving at the first strike).

The Scale:

  • Obama: 1,878 drone strikes (first president to normalize assassination by drone)
  • Trump: 2,243 strikes in first two years alone, then revoked the Obama-era requirement to report civilian casualties
  • Total Killed (All Countries): 10,000+ (including hundreds of confirmed civilians; actual count likely far higher)
  • Pakistan Alone: 400+ drone strikes, 2,500+ killed (many civilians)
  • Somalia: Ongoing strikes, hundreds killed

Key Point: The U.S. is conducting counterterror operations in 78 countries, often without the knowledge or consent of those countries' populations.

Palestine and the Gaza Genocide (October 2023–Present)

U.S. Complicity: The U.S. has provided Israel $3.8+ billion/year in military aid for decades — over $300 billion total since 1948 (inflation-adjusted).

Since October 7, 2023, the U.S. has provided $22.76 billion in additional military aid and spent $9.65–$12.07 billion on related U.S. military operations in the region.

The Deaths:

  • Gaza Health Ministry (as of May 2026): 75,800+ Palestinians killed, 172,000+ wounded
  • Independent Lancet Global Health survey (Gaza Mortality Survey): Estimated 75,200 violent deaths through January 5, 2025 alone. It's 34.7% higher than the official count at that time, representing 3.4% of Gaza's entire pre-war population
  • Max Planck Institute Study: Estimated 78,318 killed through end of 2024; a subsequent analysis estimated deaths exceeded 100,000 by October 2025
  • Non-Violent Excess Deaths (starvation, disease, and collapsed healthcare): 16,300+ estimated through January 2025 (Lancet), with conditions only deteriorating since
  • Women, Children, and the Elderly: 56.2% of violent deaths
  • UNRWA Staff Killed: 391
  • Journalists Killed: 270+
  • Healthcare workers killed: 560+
  • Famine Was Declared in northern Gaza (August 2025)
  • 12 of 36 Hospitals still partially functioning as of May 2025
  • 80%+ of Gaza's Area is subject to forced evacuations

The Villains:

  • Joe Biden: Provided weapons, diplomatic cover, and vetoed multiple UN ceasefire resolutions
  • Donald Trump: Continued weapons supply, recognized settlements
  • Every Member of Congress Who Voted for Continued Arms Transfers
  • AIPAC: Spent hundreds of millions ensuring Congressional compliance
  • U.S. Weapons Manufacturers: Every bomb dropped on Gaza was made in America

Reparations Owed (Platform Estimate): $450 billion (Palestine total)

The Israel/US War on Iran (February 28, 2026–Present)

As this document is being written, the United States is at war with Iran.

What Happened: On February 28, 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched "Operation Epic Fury" massive joint airstrikes against Iran, without Congressional authorization.

Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, was assassinated on Day 1. The war has spread across the region Lebanon, Iraq, Gulf states, and Yemen.

The Deaths (as of May, 2026):

  • Iran: 3,468+ confirmed killed (Foundation of Martyrs official figure, April 19, 2026; HRANA documents 3,636+, including 1,701+ confirmed civilians). Estimated overall deaths across all countries: 10,000+
  • Lebanon: 2,679+ killed, 8,229 wounded, 1.6 million+ displaced
  • Iraq: 117+ killed
  • Gulf states: 28+ killed (including migrant workers in UAE)
  • U.S. service members: 13 killed, 365+ wounded
  • Israel: 23+ killed
  • The Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School bombing (February 28, 2026): A U.S. airstrike hit an elementary school in Minab, Iran, on the first day of the war. 156 people killed — 120 students (73 boys and 47 girls), 26 teachers (all women), 7 parents, and others. Multiple independent investigations confirmed the U.S. was responsible. This is the deadliest single strike of the war in terms of civilian casualties.
  • Karaj bridge attack (April 2, 2026): U.S. missiles hit a bridge during Sizdah Be-dar celebrations. 8 killed, 95+ wounded — civilians celebrating a holiday. The second strike hit arriving first responders (double-tap).
  • 307 health, medical, and emergency care facilities damaged as of April 3, 2026

The Pattern: This is the 1953 Iran coup come full circle. The U.S. overthrew Iran's democracy for oil companies. The resulting dictatorship led to revolution. The revolution led to hostage crisis, sanctions, proxy wars, and now direct war. Seventy-three years of consequences from the Dulles brothers' decision to protect BP's profits.

The Villains:

  • Donald Trump — Launched the war without Congressional authorization. Withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 (first term), creating the crisis. Threatened that "a whole civilization will die."
  • Israeli government (Benjamin Netanyahu) — Coordinated strikes, expanded to Lebanon ground operations
  • The entire military-industrial complex — Defense stocks surged on the first day of bombing

The Dollar Cost (so far):

  • Pentagon estimate: $29+ billion (direct military, as of March 2026)
  • Consumer fuel costs: $40+ billion (oil price surge of 43%, to over $100/barrel)
  • Trump has proposed a fiscal year 2027 defense budget of $1.5 trillion — a 40% increase over the previous year

VENEZUELA — OPERATION SOUTHERN SPEAR (2025–2026)

While the Iran War dominates headlines, the U.S. is also conducting military operations against Venezuela.

The Cost: At least $4.7 billion from August 2025 through March 2026 for Operation Southern Spear and Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela, the Caribbean, and the Eastern Pacific (Brown University Costs of War Project).

COUNTERTERROR OPERATIONS IN 78 COUNTRIES

The War on Terror isn't confined to named wars. The U.S. is currently conducting counterterrorism activities in 78 countries — training military forces, conducting surveillance, running drone strikes, and funding proxy operations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Most Americans have no idea.

THE DOMESTIC WAR MACHINE

Military spending consumes everything. The proposed FY2027 defense budget of $1.5 trillion represents roughly 40% of discretionary spending. Military spending produces an average of 5 jobs per $1 million invested. The same $1 million in education creates 13 jobs. In healthcare: 9 jobs. In infrastructure and clean energy: 7–8 jobs.

From 2020 to 2024 alone, private firms received $2.4 trillion in Pentagon contracts — 54% of the department's discretionary spending.

The Pentagon is one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters. The institution supposedly protecting America is accelerating the climate crisis that actually threatens America.

22+ veterans die by suicide every day. The VA is underfunded. The Pentagon is not.

COMPLETE ERA TOTALS: 2001–2026

LIVES LOST

Conflict/Intervention Deaths
Afghanistan War (2001–2021) — direct 240,000+
Iraq War (2003–2011, 2014–present) — direct 300,000–1,000,000+
Iraq sanctions (continued from Part 1B, 2001–2003) Hundreds of thousands (continuation)
Indirect deaths across all post-9/11 war zones 3,600,000–3,800,000 (Costs of War, 2023)
Libya (2011–present) 30,000+
Syria (U.S. role in civil war) 100,000+ (U.S. contribution to 500,000+ total)
Yemen (U.S.-backed Saudi war) 377,000+
Drone strikes (Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, etc.) 10,000+
Gaza (October 2023–present, U.S.-armed Israel) 75,000–100,000+
Iran War (2026–present) 10,000+ (and counting)
Venezuela operations (2025–2026) Unknown
SUBTOTAL (2001–2026) 4,500,000–5,000,000+ DEAD

The Brown University Costs of War Project's 2023 estimate of 4.5–4.7 million total deaths across post-9/11 war zones (including indirect deaths) precedes the Gaza genocide, the Iran War, and the Venezuela operations. The true total is higher.

DOLLARS SPENT (2001–2026)

Category Cost
Post-9/11 wars (Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria — through 2022) $8 trillion (Costs of War)
Veterans' care through 2050 $2.2–2.5 trillion (already committed)
U.S. military aid to Israel (post-October 2023) $22.76 billion+
U.S. military operations related to Israel/Gaza/Yemen $9.65–12.07 billion
Iran War (2026, direct military) $29+ billion (and counting)
Iran War (consumer fuel costs) $40+ billion
Venezuela operations (2025–2026) $4.7 billion+
Military budget (FY2001–FY2026, non-war baseline) ~$14+ trillion
Arms sales to dictatorships (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, UAE, etc.) Hundreds of billions
SUBTOTAL (2001–2026) ~$25+ TRILLION

THE VILLAINS SCORECARD (2001–2026)

INDIVIDUALS:

  • George W. Bush — Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Torture. A million dead Iraqis. Paints portraits now.
  • Dick Cheney — Architect of Iraq War. Halliburton profiteer. Authorized torture. "Dark side."
  • Donald Rumsfeld — Iraq, Afghanistan, torture. Died 2021, no trial.
  • Colin Powell — Lied at the UN. Died 2021, eulogized as a hero.
  • Condoleezza Rice — "Mushroom cloud."
  • Paul Wolfowitz — Iraq War architect. "Cakewalk."
  • Doug Feith — Office of Special Plans. Fabricated intelligence.
  • George Tenet — CIA Director. "Slam dunk."
  • John Yoo — Wrote the torture memos. Now a tenured law professor.
  • Alberto Gonzales — Called Geneva Conventions "quaint."
  • Barack Obama — Drone warfare normalization. Libya destruction. Yemen bombing. Refused to prosecute Bush-era torture. "We tortured some folks."
  • Hillary Clinton — Libya. "We came, we saw, he died."
  • John Brennan — CIA Director, drone program architect.
  • Donald Trump — Iran nuclear deal withdrawal (creating the crisis), Soleimani assassination, Iran War without Congressional authorization, $1.5 trillion proposed Pentagon budget, pardoned war criminals, escalated drone strikes while revoking transparency requirements, Venezuela operations, threatened to destroy "a whole civilization."
  • Joe Biden — Voted for Iraq War (as Senator), armed Israel during Gaza genocide, vetoed UN ceasefire resolutions.
  • Elliott Abrams — Survived from the Reagan era. Rehired by Bush II and Trump. Still in the game.
  • Erik Prince — Blackwater founder. Nisour Square massacre. Privatized war profiteer. Trump advisor.

CORPORATIONS:

  • Lockheed Martin — $75+ billion/year in Pentagon contracts. The world's largest weapons manufacturer.
  • Boeing — $62+ billion/year in contracts. Also crashed civilian airplanes.
  • Raytheon (RTX) — $29+ billion/year. Made the missiles hitting Iran right now.
  • General Dynamics — $39+ billion/year.
  • Northrop Grumman — $35+ billion/year. Surveillance, drones, and bombers.
  • Halliburton/KBR — $40+ billion from Iraq alone. Cheney's company.
  • Blackwater/Academi/Constellis — Mercenaries. Massacred civilians. Pardoned by Trump.
  • L3Harris Technologies — Surveillance, targeting systems.
  • Palantir — Silicon Valley's war profiteer. Surveillance and targeting AI for the military.
  • Amazon (AWS), Microsoft, Google — Competing for military cloud contracts worth billions (JEDI/JWCC). Big Tech is now part of the military-industrial complex.
  • ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell — Profited from every oil price spike caused by every Middle East war.

GRAND TOTAL: 1945–2026

LIVES LOST: ~19–22 MILLION DEAD

Era Deaths
1945–1979 (Part 1A) 10–12 million
1980–2001 (Part 1B) 4–5 million
2001–2026 (Part 1C) 4.5–5 million+
GRAND TOTAL ~19–22 MILLION

Conservative estimate. Does not fully account for indirect deaths from sanctions, IMF structural adjustment, climate damage, the global arms trade, or ongoing UXO casualties. Some scholars estimate the true total at 20–30 million.

DOLLARS SPENT: ~$60+ TRILLION (Inflation-Adjusted)

Era Cost
1945–1979 (Part 1A) $20+ trillion
1980–2001 (Part 1B) $15+ trillion
2001–2026 (Part 1C) $25+ trillion
GRAND TOTAL ~$60+ TRILLION

THE FINAL RECEIPT

$60 trillion.

That is what the American Empire has cost — in direct military spending, war costs, veterans' care, weapons sales, CIA operations, and the maintenance of 750 overseas bases in 80+ countries — since 1945.

$60 trillion could have funded:

  • Universal healthcare for every American — for 75 years
  • Free university education for every American — for 200 years
  • 113 million units of social housing (the platform's goal) — five times over
  • A national high-speed rail network connecting every city over 100,000 people — with money left over for flying cars
  • Complete renewable energy transition — powering the entire country on clean energy, decades ago
  • The elimination of poverty in the United States — and most of the world
  • Full reparations for ADOS ($22 trillion), First Nations ($12.5 trillion + land back), and imperial victims ($20 trillion) — with $5.5 trillion to spare

Instead: 19–22 million corpses. A country that can't afford insulin. Crumbling bridges. Undrinkable water in Flint. Homeless veterans sleeping under overpasses while Lockheed Martin posts record profits. Kids doing active shooter drills in schools that can't afford textbooks.

The richest country in human history chose to build an empire instead of a civilization.

We already paid for everything. We just paid for the wrong things.

The Empire Ends With Us.

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