The world's biggest industry keeps getting bigger.
Early estimates on the damage to Lebanon's infrascture by Israel's ceaseless targeting of non-militant assets, along with weapons stores and rocket sites, are reaching almost $US700 million.
That's more than $US100 million per day, ever day, worth of damage to Lebanon's infrastructure and thousands of houses and businesses, for the past six days.
Israel, meanwhile, has suffered barely a few million dollars worth of damage.
And then there's this incredible set of figures : The War On Iraq is set to cost each and every single American - man, woman and child - the equivalent of $1000 each in the next few years.
The War On Iraq is set to become more expensive than Vietnam or the Korean wars.
...the US would maintain troop levels in Iraq at 140,000 next year but quickly begin bringing them home thereafter, with almost all its forces out by the end of 2009. This would still cost taxpayers another $US184billion from next year to 2010.The alternative scenario is a slower drawdown and a US military presence of 40,000 over the long term. This would cost a further $US406 billion over the next decade, leaving total costs approaching $US700 billion.
Lawrence Lindsey, a former White House economic adviser, was fired after predicting that the war could cost between $US100billion and $US200billion.
Congress has approved $US437billion for military operations and other costs related to the war on terror since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The combined costs of fighting terrorism "could reach $US808 billion by 2016", the report says.
Another analysis from the Congressional Research Service, which looked at how much money had been spent rather than merely authorised since the invasion began, puts the tally for Iraq at $US319 billion, with the war in Afghanistan costing a further $US88 billion.
War Is Business. And Business Is Good.
