Real Price of War - How You Pay for the War on Terror (Paperback)

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Read the Preface.

"An interesting book that raises many important questions"--Journal of Peace Research

"Comprehensive examination of the myriad costs of war."
--"Forecast"

"A compact and cogent study. Goldstein makes a fine example of a nonideologue at work."
--"Publishers Weekly"

"Goldstein does an admirable job in breaking down current war costs and who we pay them."
--"Jewish Herald-Voice"

"Goldstein is not an economist but a political scientist who takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of war. Here he argues that the war on terrorism is much more expensive than we have been told and that we must spend now to win it quickly or we will pay far more in the future to do so. Recommended for all public libraries."
--"Library Journal"

"Forget the astronomical numbers you read about in the press --- $120 billion here, $87 billion there. Here's how much the war is costing you personally. Goldstein, political scientist and "scholar of war" creates a crude but credible model for determining the cost of war per household in the United States."--"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

"An important book for all Americans about the real costs of the War on Terror. It asks the tough questions about who pays and gives us a better understanding of the war's impact on our everyday lives."
--General (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO

""The Real Price of War" ought to be required reading in the Kerry campaign and among all Americans who want their government to do the right thing. It is a timely book with far-reaching implications for every American."
--David Moats, Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prizefor Editorial Writing

"Joshua S. Goldstein's argument is simple, powerfully argued, and persuasive: we have not spent enough to win the war on terror, and we cannot afford not to. For those who say we are already spending too much, he marshals an impressive range of historical evidence to prove that we are spending much less than we have on past wars. For those who say the status quo threat level is acceptable, he presents frightening scenarios to prove that it is not. The conclusions he draws are as convincing as they are dire."
--Nisid Hajari, Managing Editor, Newsweek International

"Engaging."
--"Kirkus Reviews"

"In this engrossing and Cassandra-like book, the respected Professor Joshua Goldstein tells us, just as we need it most badly, of the true 'costs' of war-and warns America of the new era that it has inaugurated in the world."
--Georgie Anne Geyer, Syndicated Columnist, Universal Press Syndicate, and author of "Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro"

"Joshua Goldstein has always written about big topics, and this is the biggest: If the war against terrorism is to be won-and it must be won-what will be the likely costs and how should they be allocated among the American people? He writes with passion, insight, evidence, and fundamental fairness on an issue that will shape all our lives."
--Bruce Russett, Dean Acheson Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Yale University

Are Americans in denial about the costs of the War on Terror? In The Real Price of War, Joshua S. Goldstein argues that we need to face up to what the war costs the average American--both in taxes and in changes to our way of life. Goldstein contends thatin order to protect the United States from future attacks, we must fight--and win--the War on Terror. Yet even as President Bush campaigns on promises of national security, his administration is cutting taxes and increasing deficit spending, resulting in too little money to eradicate terrorism and a crippling burden of national debt for future generations to pay.

The Real Price of War breaks down billion-dollar government expenditures into the prices individual Americans are paying through their taxes. Goldstein estimates that the average American household currently pays $500 each month to finance war. Beyond the dollars and cents that finance military operations and increased security within the U.S., the War on Terror also costs America in less tangible ways, including lost lives, reduced revenue from international travelers, and budget pressures on local governments. The longer the war continues, the greater these costs. In order to win the war faster, Goldstein argues for an increase in war funding, at a cost of about $100 per household per month, to better fund military spending, homeland security, and foreign aid and diplomacy.

Americans have been told that the War on Terror is a war without sacrifice. But as Goldstein emphatically states: "These truths should be self-evident: The nation is at war. The war is expensive. Someone has to pay for it."