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Study: Price Tag for War on Terror Is $6.4 Trillion and Growing

War is many things, and one of those things is expensive. A new academic study shows just how expensive the war on terror has been for the United States over the past 18 years, placing the total taxpayer cost at $6.4 trillion.

In order to tabulate the total cost of post-9/11 anti-terror operations since late 2001, the report — which was published last week by the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University — takes into account not only the costs of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, but also military operations in other countries, costs incurred by the Department of Homeland Security, and the public cost of taking care of the medical and disability issues faced by post-9/11 veterans.

“The mission of the post-9/11 wars, as originally defined, was to defend the United States against future terrorist threats from al Qaeda and affiliated organizations. Since 2001, the wars have expanded from the fighting in Afghanistan, to wars and smaller operations elsewhere, in more than 80 countries — becoming a truly ‘global war on terror,’” the summary explains. “Further, the Department of Homeland Security was created in part to coordinate the defense of the homeland against terrorist attacks.”

To put that $6.4 trillion figure in context, that is 103,330,803 times the annual U.S. median household income of $61,937, meaning that it would take the annual median salaries of more than 100 million American households to cover the cost of the United States’ Middle East and Asia involvement over the past 18 years as estimated by the report.

Furthermore, this figure is $2 trillion more than the entire U.S. federal government spent in fiscal year 2019, which was $4.44 trillion according to the Treasury Department.

A similar cost estimate put out by the Watson Institute in November 2018 estimated a total cost of $5.9 trillion, representing an estimated $500 billion price tag for the previous fiscal year.

The report’s summary also explains that costs to American taxpayers resulting form the war on terror would keep adding up even if the U.S. were to cease its military operations in the Middle East and elsewhere by the end of this fiscal year. This is because, it says, of the ongoing cost of veterans’ care and also because “the increases in the Pentagon base budget associated with the wars are likely to remain, inflating the military budget over the long run.”

Meanwhile, the United States’ national debt continues to grow with no end in sight, topping $23 trillion for the first time in history at the beginning of November. Furthermore, the budget deficit for October grew 34 percent over the previous year, which puts the country on course to hit a trillion-dollar deficit this fiscal year. (For more from the author of “Study: Price Tag for War on Terror Is $6.4 Trillion and Growing” please click HERE)

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Meet the Secret CIA-Funded Group Behind the ‘War on Terror’

Bilderberg has gained a reputation as the world’s most secretive group of billionaires and political leaders who conspire to impact global events—but reports indicate that they don’t hold a candle to another group that includes a host of war criminals responsible for the “War on Terror.”

The group is named Le Cercle. In a report dated Sept. 13, 1982, the German publication Der Spiegel describes it as a “legal cartel” made up of “loyal Bundesnachrichtendienst agents, foreign intelligence agents, reactionary politicians and ultra-right journalists” who played a crucial role in the 1980 election.

The existence of the group was revealed by Bavarian constitutional protector Hans Langemann. According to the report, he described the group as:

“In the case of CERCLE, which is clearly defamatory,” as far as my earlier knowledge of the BND “and my present knowledge are concerned, a “loose” “concentration “about two times a year and at various” places of conservative- anti-Communist politician,” “publicists, bankers, and VIPs of other professions,” “which originated in the former French Prime Minister Antoine PINAY, and the circle to which guests are invited continues to this day.”

Former U.S. Defense Secretary and President of the World Bank Paul Wolfowitz, former Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority Leader Paul Bremer, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former Chairman of the Defense Department’s Defense Policy Board Richard Perle—some of the most notable neoconservative architects of the Iraq War—are all reportedly members.

Other reported American members of Le Cercle include former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Directors of Central Intelligence Bill Casey and William Colby, and former President Richard Nixon after he left the White House.

In a report from The Independent dated June 28, 1997, the “exclusive think-tank said to be funded by the CIA” is mentioned because its chairman at the time, former Member of Parliament Jonathan Aitken, was reportedly going to be removed over a libel trial that ultimately sent him to prison for perjury.

Accusations that Le Cercle receives funding from the CIA have been made by Robin Ramsay, editor of Lobster Magazine; and by John E Lewis, author of The Mammoth Book of Cover-Ups.

As the report noted, “the group’s existence is only occasionally disclosed” following its creation in the 1950s:

Cercle was intended to cement Franco-German relations, as a buffer to Soviet aggression during the Cold War. Down the years, however, it has become much more, advocating right-wing causes round the world and growing into a confidential talking shop for about 70 politicians, businessmen, polemicists and personnel from the diplomatic and security services. Members are invited to attend its meetings; they cannot ask to be admitted, and as a condition of attending they agree to keep all sessions secret. It meets twice a year, once in Washington DC in the autumn and once in the early part of the year in an ‘overseas’ venue.

The Independent described senior member Brian Crozier as an “author and well-known Cold-Warrior with close ties to MI6 and the CIA” who wrote a “planning paper” for Le Cercle in 1979. In addition to securing changes of government in Germany and the United Kingdom (where Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979), the agenda included objectives such as:

“Undercover financial transactions for political aims”
“International campaigns aiming to discredit hostile personalities or events”
“Creation of a (private) intelligence service specializing in a selective point of view”
“Establishment of offices under suitable cover each run by a coordinator from the central office. Current plans cover London, Washington, Paris, Munich and Madrid”

In a report on the history of Le Cercle, British news source True Publica noted that the 1982 Langemann Papers were “the first significant leak to expose the activities of Le Cercle, confirming that the group was actively involved in influencing Western European elections.”

Its purpose is to subvert the democratic principles and processes of individual countries and are by nature ideologically ‘hawkish’ – distributing propaganda, stoking fear of communist plots from Russia, vote rigging and hacking the accounts of politicians and prominent global figures. Promoting the ‘war on terror’ has been a major factor in their activities of recent years and in so doing broker weapons deals and setting up false flag operations the world over to suit its own agenda.

While the majority of the information surrounding Le Cercle is covert and secretive—especially regarding its activity in recent years—one of the most important things to remember about the think tank is that its presence is well-documented, its members include influential U.S. politicians, there have been accusations of funding by the CIA, and yet mainstream media in the United States has ignored its existence and influence for decades. (For more from the author of “Meet the Secret CIA-Funded Group Behind the ‘War on Terror'” please click HERE)

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Benghazi: When America Switched Sides In The War On Terror And Armed Al-Qaida (+video)

Photo Credit: FrontPagMag

Photo Credit: FrontPagMag

The Center for Security Policy’s Vice President for Research and Analysis, Clare Lopez, says in this exclusive video interview with The Daily Caller that very few have seemed to care that America switched sides in the global war on terror when President Obama deposed an erstwhile ally in the Middle East and provided weapons to al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Focusing on this under-reported, critical shift in American foreign policy, Clare Lopez discusses how an American ambassador and others were killed in Benghazi on the anniversary of 9/11 because the Obama administration decided to promote and defend their narrative that “al-Qaida was on the run,” even as we were outright arming militants affiliated with the terrorist group.

Lopez spent 20 years as an undercover operations officer for the CIA. Believing she can now best serve her country in the policy arena, she has found a natural fit at a non-partisan non-profit that promotes American national security and foreign policy based on the principle of “peace through strength.”

This week, we feature part 1 of 2 of our video interview with Lopez on the topic of the Benghazi attacks. Lopez, who’s also a member of the Citizens Commission on Benghazi, says, “Benghazi is symbolic of more than just a disastrous foreign policy or a disastrous attack on our mission that took the lives of four Americans serving there and injured many more. Benghazi is not just what happened on September 11, 2012 either. Americans really need to care about Benghazi and what happened there because that is the place, and 2011 and 2012 was the time, when America switched sides in the war on terrorism.”

To her, the American decision to overthrow the head of a sovereign government, Muammar al-Gaddafi, and to instead support al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood laid the important framework for a resurgence of global jihad.

Read more from this story HERE.

Al Qaeda’s Jailbreaks Fuel the Fight

Al Qaeda’s jailbreaks have been an all too common occurrence in the post-9/11 world. And they have directly fueled the fight. Chances are the massive jailbreak in Iraq this week will cause significant problems for the U.S. and its allies down the road. History tells us as much. There are numerous examples of once-detained al Qaeda operatives rejoining the terror network. Consider just two examples.

The current head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Nasir al Wuhayshi, escaped from a Yemeni jail in 2006. Along with a hardened crew of other escapees and ex-Guantanamo detainees, Wuhayshi went on to rebuild al Qaeda’s Arabian franchise after it had been decimated by years of counterterrorism operations.

It didn’t take long for Wuhayshi’s group to start targeting the U.S. AQAP was reborn in early 2009. On Christmas Day 2009, a would-be suicide bomber who was recruited and trained by AQAP nearly detonated a clever underwear bomb on board a Detroit-bound airliner. AQAP has launched other attempted attacks against the U.S. since then. The organization has also built an irregular army to challenge the Yemeni state, meaning many security challenges will have to be met for years to come.

Abu Yahya al Libi, who rose through al Qaeda’s ranks to become one of the organization’s most senior leaders in Pakistan, also escaped from a prison. In July 2005, al Libi and several others escaped from Bagram Air Base. Unlike Wuhayshi, who served as bin Laden’s aide-de-camp and protégé during the 1990s, al Libi was, as the New York Times put it, “an obscure militant preacher” when he slipped out of custody. Three years later, in 2008, the American press was discussing al Libi’s “meteoric ascent,” as he became one of al Qaeda’s most recognized figures. And four years after that, in June 2012, al Libi was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Al Libi’s death was, in turn, cited by the Obama administration as proof that al Qaeda’s death also neared.

Read more from this story HERE.

Obama Selectively Quoted Osama bin Laden in War on Terror Speech (+video)

President Obama is being accused of selectively quoting Usama bin Laden, by using a snippet of an anti-America screed to make it sound like Al Qaeda was breaking under the weight of the U.S. drone program.

Obama quoted the Al Qaeda leader during his wide-ranging speech on counterterrorism policy last Thursday in Washington. As part of his argument in defense of the lethal drone program, Obama suggested bin Laden himself deemed the strikes to be effective.

“Don’t take my word for it,” Obama said. “In the intelligence gathered at bin Laden’s compound, we found that he wrote, ‘We could lose the reserves to enemy’s airstrikes. We cannot fight airstrikes with explosives.'”

It is without question that the strikes have killed key terror leaders, and have changed the way Al Qaeda and its affiliates operate. The bin Laden document Obama referenced said as much.

But the document — one of several bin Laden writings published by West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center — showed bin Laden discussing how drones strikes have changed his organization’s tactics, not necessarily how they have Al Qaeda on the run.

Read more from this story HERE.

Obama Essentially Declares an End to the Global War on Terror

Photo Credit: APSome call it wishful thinking, but President Barack Obama has all but declared an end to the global war on terror.

Obama is not claiming final victory over extremists who still seek to kill Americans and other Westerners. Instead, he is refocusing the long struggle against terrorism that lies ahead, steering the United States away from what he calls an equally frightening threat — a country in a state of perpetual war. In doing so, Obama recasts the image of the terrorists themselves, from enemy warriors to cowardly thugs and resets the relationship between the U.S. and Islam.

His speech Thursday was designed to move America’s mindset away from a war footing and refine and recalibrate his own counterterrorism strategy. Obama asserted that al-Qaida is “on the path to defeat,” reducing the scale of terrorism to pre-Sept. 11 levels. That means that with the Afghanistan war winding down, Obama is unlikely to commit troops in large numbers to any conflict — in Syria or other countries struggling with instability in the uncertain aftermath of the Arab Spring — unless, as his critics fear, he tragically has underestimated al-Qaida’s staying power.

“Wishing the defeat of terrorists does not make it so,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Read more from this story HERE.

The Axis of Torpor: Against Waging War as an NGO.

Photo Credit: National Review

I greatly enjoy the new Hollywood genre in which dysfunctional American families fly to a foreign city and slaughter large numbers of the inhabitants as a kind of bonding experience. Liam Neeson takes his estranged wife and their teenage daughter for just such a vacation in Taken 2, in which the spectacular mountain of corpses in Istanbul brings the family back together again and ends with them (spoiler alert) enjoying a chocolate malt back at the soda fountain in California and getting to know the daughter’s new boyfriend. “Don’t shoot this one, Dad,” she cautions. “I really like him.” And they all have a good chuckle over it. In Die Hard 5 or whatever we’re up to, Bruce Willis and his estranged son fly to Moscow and do to the Russians what Neeson does to the Turks and Albanians. I gather that in the forthcoming Finding Nemo 2 Marlin and Dory’s marriage is going through a rocky patch until Nemo is kidnapped by a Ukrainian sex cartel and Marlin and Dory swim up the Dnieper River and gun down every pimp in Kiev.

Alas, outside Hollywood, foreigners are somewhat less pliable than the body count of Liam Neeson’s and Bruce Willis’s obliging extras would suggest. The funniest line in Taken 2 was Neeson’s advice to his daughter in an emergency: “Go to the U.S. embassy. You’ll be safe there.” It opened a couple of weeks after Benghazi.

There are drones, of course, which offer the consolations of technological badassery, as if Liam Neeson could take out all the Albanians from the X-Box in his basement. But don’t worry. According to Politico, at a recent meeting with Senate Democrats, President Obama assured them that they had no need to worry about his awesome power to rain down death from the skies because, as he put it, he’s not Dick Cheney.

Meanwhile, back at the GOP, Senator Rand Paul is no Dick Cheney either: At CPAC this week, the narrow bounds of his smash-hit filibuster — questioning drone assassinations on Americans in America — broadened somewhat, not just to questioning drone assassinations on Americans anywhere, nor to questioning drone assassinations on anyone, nor even to questioning the “war on terror” or war in general, but to questioning the very assumptions of American global order, starting with our bankrolling of Mohamed Morsi in Cairo. The Egyptians send mobs to torch the U.S. embassy, the Saudis wage ideological warfare against Western civilization, the Turks call Israel a “crime against humanity” and threaten a cultural and demographic takeover of Europe, the Pakistanis are ramping up nuke production to sell to any loon in town — and those are just our “allies.” With friends like these, who needs foreign policy? There are fewer and fewer takers for the burdens of global superpower, and whoever wins the nomination in 2016 will be considerably less Cheney and more Randy.

Read more from this story HERE.

Al Qaeda On The Warpath

Al Qaeda affiliates have spread throughout the Middle East and Africa, transforming al Qaeda into an increasingly dangerous global network, research analysts at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) said during a panel Wednesday.

“Al Qaeda is stronger at an operational level than it has been for many years” and the prospects of al Qaeda strengthening are more likely, AEI senior research analyst Katherine Zimmerman said.

Even though the United States successfully found and killed Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda movement has spread to Yemen, North Africa, Syria, Somalia, and other areas in the Middle East.

Al Qaeda is “not defeated or on the verge of defeat,” Zimmerman said.

With the outbreak of the Arab Spring, local affiliated al Qaeda groups have infiltrated unstable locations in the Middle East.

Read more from this story HERE.