NewsNotes - January 2007
In the end, we will remember not the words
of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
A new study presented by Harvard professor and former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Linda J. Bilmes, at a session organized by EPS at the ASSA meetings follows up on her paper presented with Joseph Stiglitz at last year's meetings in Boston. The study concludes that the VA is overwhelmed by the volume and seriousness of veterans' health care needs and that the costs of providing disability benefits and medical care to these veterans could reach up to $700 billion over their lifetimes.
For every fatality in Iraq, there are 16 injuries, an unprecedented casualty level. In the Vietnam and Korean wars, by contrast, there were fewer than three people wounded for each fatality. In World Wars I and II, there were less than two. That means we now have more than 50,000 wounded Iraq war soldiers. In one sense, this reflects positive change: better medical care and stronger body armor are enabling many more soldiers to survive injuries that might have led, in earlier generations, to death. But like so much else about this war, the Bush administration failed to foresee what it would mean, failed to plan for the growing tide of veterans who would be in urgent need of medical and disability care. The result is that as the Iraq war approaches its fourth anniversary, the Department of Veterans Affairs is buckling under a growing volume of disability claims and rising demand for medical attention.
The Veterans Benefits Administration now has a backlog of over 400,000
pending claims. Veterans must wait from six months to two years to begin
receiving the money that is due to them while the agency plods through
paperwork. One of the first challenges facing the new Democratic-controlled
Congress will be another "supplemental" budget request for $100
billion-plus to keep the war going, and a plan to send in even more troops.
The last Congress approved a dozen such requests with barely a peep, afraid
of "not supporting our troops." If the new Congress really wants
to support our troops, it should start by spending a few more pennies
on the ones who have already fought and come home.
The full paper, Soldiers Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan: The Long-term Costs of Providing Veterans Medical Care and Disability Benefits, is available at http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~lbilmes/paper/Bilmes_vacostwar_010707.pdf
The Battle of Iraq's Wounded, an op-ed by Linda Bilmes, based on the study, appeared in the Los Angeles Times on January 5. http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~lbilmes/paper/bilmes010507.pdf
EPS at the ASSA (Allied Social Sciences Associations meetings)
We hosted two sessions at this year's meetings in Chicago:
- Friday, January 5. Out How: The Economics of Ending Wars, a
roundtable discussion chaired by James Galbraith, was attended by about
60 people. Presenters were:
- Thomas Schelling, University of Maryland
- Clark Abt, Abt Associates, Out How: The Political Economy of Ending Wars, in Iraq and Others http://www.epsusa.org/events/aea2007papers/abt.htm
- Linda Bilmes, Harvard University, SOLDIERS RETURNING FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: The Long-term Costs of Providing Veterans Medical Care and Disability Benefits http://www.epsusa.org/events/aea2007papers/bilmes.htm
- Col. Douglas MacGregor, Center for Defense Information, Straus Military Reform Project, Talking Points http://www.epsusa.org/events/aea2007papers/macgregor_talking_points.htm
- Michael Intriligator, University of California at Los Angeles, Milken Institute, Ten Points http://www.epsusa.org/events/aea2007papers/intriligator.htm
- Saturday, January 6 at 2:30pm in the Skyway room. Women and War,
a joint session with IAFFE, chaired by Lourdes Beneria, Cornell University,
was attended by about 30. Presenters were:
- Jennifer Olmsted, Drew University, Gender and Military Occupation in Iraq and Palestine
- Derya Demiler, Istanbul Bilgi University, Gender Dimensions of Internal Displacement in Turkey http://www.epsusa.org/events/aea2007papers/demirler.htm
- Marguerite Waller, University of California - Riverside, Is
Post-conflict Forced Prostitution a War Crime? http://www.epsusa.org/events/aea2007papers/waller.htm
Discussant: Elizabetta Addis, Universita degli Studi di Sassari
Our Annual Dinner honored William Baumol. The Host Committee was chaired by Alan Blinder, Princeton University, and included: Elizabeth Bailey, University of Pennsylvania; Peter Dougherty, Princeton University Press; Ralph Gomory, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Boyan Jovanovic, New York University; Alvin Klevorick, Yale University; Burton Malkiel, Princeton University; Janusz Ordover, New York University; Richard Quandt, Princeton University; Andrew Schotter, New York University; Carl Schramm, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Eytan Sheshinski, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Princeton University; Robert Strom, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Robert Willig, Princeton University; Edward Wolff, New York University; and Michael Worls, Thomson South-Western Publishers.
The speakers were Ralph Gomory, Andrew Schotter, Robert Litan, and Alan Blinder, followed by Dr. Baumol himself. A video was made of the event and we hope to have it posted on our website soon.
The dinner was generously supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Thomson South-Western.
EPS will host a session and booth in the exhibit hall at the Eastern Economic Association (EEA) meetings in New York City, February 23 - 25, 2007.
The session, entitled Economics of War and Peace, will be chaired by EPS Executive Director, Thea Harvey. The presenters are:
- David Gold, The New School, A Cost Benefit Analysis of the War on Terror
- Richard Kaufman, Bethesda Research Center, The Peace Dividend Revisited - Again
- Alanna Hartzok, Earth Rights Institute, The Law of Rent and the Economics of War and Peace
There will be no discussants; the floor will be opened for questions and discussion.
More information on the conference can be found at: http://www.iona.edu/eea/conf2007/NYHome.html
The Economics of Peace and Security Journal (EPSJ) was launched in January 2006 by Economists for Peace and Security (UK). This publication raises and debates all issues related to the political economy of personal, communal, national, international, and global peace and security. The journal is aimed at specialist and non-specialist readers, including policy analysts, decision makers, members of the armed forces, non-governmental organizations, campaigning groups and others. Contributions are scholarly-based, but written in a general-interest style.
The first two editions of the journal are available free at the Journal's website, http://www.epsjournal.org.uk. The third edition (Vol. 2, No. 1) will be published in January 2007. This issue will include a symposium on the subject of The Organization of Violence in the Modern World, including conscription vs. volunteer armed forces, the privatization of violence, and terrorist financing. Other topics include the economics of terrorism, Russian military expenditure, war and economic growth, and Defense Economics: achievements and challenges. Authors include Herbert Wulf, Keith Hartley, Vasily Zatselim and Jurgen Brauer.
To produce, disseminate and expand a successful high-quality journal, and to better promote research and understanding of the economics of peace and security worldwide through EPS-UK, we will charge a small subscription fee, starting with the forthcoming issue. Subscriptions are for one year (at least two issues, although we are already exploring the possibility of going to 3 or 4 issues a year), at a cost of £22 standard rate, £16 for members of one of the worldwide EPS branches, £11 for unwaged and those from developing countries, and £55 for organizational subscriptions. Payment is also accepted in $US and Euros.
Online subscriptions can be made at http://www.epsjournal.org.uk/subscriptions.php. In comparison to other journals, this is a reasonable price for a year's worth of articles by some of the top researchers and practitioners in the fields of defense and peace economics, peace and conflict studies, and other related disciplines. (Book reviews will continue to be freely available at the EPS website. If you have already subscribed for 2006, your subscription will remain valid for 2007.)
We hope that you will subscribe to EPSJ, and thus to continue to have access to a valuable source of information and analysis for all researchers, campaigners, and practitioners in conflict-related issues. If you would like any further information regarding EPSJ, or are interested in submitting an article or book review, please do not hesitate to contact the editors at editors@epsjournal.org.uk.
Call for papers: The 11th Annual Conference on Economics & Security will take place July 12 - 14, 2007 in Bristol, UK. Offers of papers are invited for a conference sponsored by Economists for Peace and Security, the Arms Production and Trade Group, the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol. The conference will have a public lecture, plenary sessions with keynote speakers, plus specialist workshop streams.
Proposed topics include:
- European Security
- Economics of the RMA
- Globalization and the Restructuring of the MIC
- Militarism and Development
- Economics of Conflict and Post-conflict Reconstruction
- Economics of the Arms Trade
- Procurement and Offsets
- Arms Races, Offsets and Alliances
- Peace Science
- Conversion and Demilitarization
- Terrorism
Offers of papers on other related topics are also welcome.
For more information on the call for papers, please see: http://carecon.org.uk/Conferences/Conf2007/Call2007.pdf
Please send a title and abstract as soon as possible and before April 30, 2007 to
Professor J. Paul Dunne
School of Economics
Bristol Business School
University of the West of England
Bristol, BS16 1QY
UK
John2.Dunne@uwe.ac.uk
To keep up with conference developments, visit: http://carecon.org.uk/Conferences/Conf2007/CONF2007.html
Play Peace Games. The Nobel Peace Prize website offers several games to test your knowledge of issues relating to peace and disarmament. You can play:
Red Cross Geneva Conventions game. See if you can run a prisoner of war camp without violating anyone's rights under the Geneva Conventions. http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/redcross/index.html
The Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons game. Take on the mission to disarm the world of nuclear weapons! You have eight "Peace Doves" to help you, each able to disarm one of the eight countries possessing nuclear weapons. http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/nuclear_weapons/index.html
The International Relations Center (IRC) has introduced the Global Good Neighbor Initiative. "Seldom, if ever, has US foreign policy been as confusing or as divisive as it is today," states an article introducing the Initiative. "The occupation of Iraq, the deepening trade deficit, saber-rattling abroad, and disdain for international cooperation have left the American public uncertain about what exactly the US government is doing overseas, and why. Fortunately, US foreign policy has another legacy - one that makes us proud and can serve as a model and inspiration for ourselves and others. It is the Good Neighbor policy that President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed in the 1930s as a fresh perspective on international relations and US foreign affairs. The Good Neighbor policy of the Roosevelt presidency (1933-45) marked a dramatic shift in US foreign relations, characterized by a public repudiation of three decades of imperialism, cultural and racial stereotyping, and military intervention." http://ggn.irc-online.org/neighbor/142
This amusing little videoe gives a graphic depiction of what global good neighbors might look like. http://ggn.irc-online.org/flash/GGN_ALL_MX.htm
New Yorkers, you should be proud! On December 5, the NY Department of Environmental Conservation issued the first draft rule for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), setting high standards for the rest of the region. The proposal is the first step toward implementing RGGI to address the challenge of climate change in New York and the Northeast. The RGGI is a cooperative effort by northeastern states to reduce global warming pollution. This landmark program will create the nation’s first multi-state emissions cap and trade program for carbon dioxide. The RGGI plan provides a flexible and cost-effective means for power companies to achieve their emissions reduction target while simultaneously offering incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
More information is available at http://www.rggi.org/
The December issue of id21 focuses on the plight of refugees and rebuilding
economies and societies after conflicts. Included are articles on:
Reducing Mozambique's reliance on donor aid. Civil war in Mozambique
forced more than a quarter of the country's population abroad as refugees.
When the war ended in 1992, Mozambique's economy and society were destroyed
and the country became largely dependent on external aid. What will help
the Mozambique government reduce its aid dependence? http://www.id21.org/society/s9aah2g1.html
Supporting livelihoods through agricultural rehabilitation. Food security interventions in countries emerging from conflict should move beyond conventional seeds and tools approaches; they must address vulnerability and support the agricultural component of rural livelihoods. http://www.id21.org/society/n1cl1g1.html
The Real Cost of the Iraq War: 50,000 US Casualties "Casualties in the military sense is the total number made unavailable for duty from all causes, including deaths and wounds suffered in combat as well as injuries, accidents and illness...[B]y focusing only on the number of dead Americans we are being manipulated along with the media and public by the administration's determination to minimize the cost in blood of establishing permanent military bases in the heart of the Middle East oil patch." http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/46161/
See above for EPS's participation in getting the word out about this underreported story.
Full story at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57042
"Few outside the administration would contest that the mission's 'measurables' are miserable. The progress in Iraq reconstruction has been glacial and the security situation has steadily deteriorated, despite a great expenditure of time, money, and lives. But why? Critics have variously targeted the administration's strategy, planning, priorities, and level of effort -- which suggests that there might be a better way. And, indeed, the administration now claims to have discovered one.
"In fact, there is no way forward that does not lead out. This, because the mission itself is founded on strategic error. The error resides not simply in the administration's 'strategy for victory' in Iraq but, more broadly, in its national security strategy. It is evident as well in the President's rejection of what is best in the Iraq Study Group report: the proposal to diplomatically engage Syria and Iran regarding the Iraq prospect. Indeed, the President's proposal to pump-up Operation Iraqi Freedom with more money and troops is a direct counter-point to the diplomatic path."
Americans for Informed Democracy is searching for a new president who is bright, hard-working, and entrepreneurial. The president of AID is the chief executive officer and will direct all aspects of the organization’s work. The president must be someone who thrives in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment and who has a strong background in student activism and international affairs. The president also should have a deep interest in foreign cultures, as demonstrated through living, working, or studying abroad.
The president will take over one of the most dynamic and fastest growing
youth networks in the world. AID was founded in 2002 by a group of American
students who sought a new vehicle to bring the world home to the US, and
it has since grown to include a vast youth audience, prominent NGO partners,
and strong foundation support. Today, the organization has four full-time
staff, an annual budget of $275,000, and more than 15,000 members on over
1,000 university campuses.
More info at http://www.aidemocracy.org/president.cfm
Thorstein Veblen was born on July 30, 1857. In order to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Association For Evolutionary Economics (AFEE) and EAEPE will co-sponsor the Veblen 150 Prize Competition. Candidates for the prize are asked to submit written works on the nature of institutions, the theory of institutional evolution, the philosophical foundations of institutional and evolutionary economics, or the application of institutional or evolutionary theory to economic policy. These specialist themes reflect Veblenian concerns. The prize is 2000 GBP.
The prizes will be judged by a panel nominated jointly by AFEE and EAEPE and by the Foundation for European Economic Development (FEED). The results of this competition will be announced in about September 2007. The awards will be made at the EAEPE Conference from November 1-3, 2007 in Porto on Portugal.
Deadline for submission June 30, 2007. More information about submission at http://eaepe.org/eaepe.php?q=node/view/189
Are We Safer? Five Years After the September 11th Attacks: Assessing the US Security Situation and Alternatives for Moving Forward. An Anthology of National Security Essays - September 2006, published by the Security Policy Working Group.
Pyrrhus on the Potomac: How America's Post-9/11 Wars Have Undermined US National Security. Carl Conetta, Project on Defense Alternatives http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Pyrrhus%20On%20The%20Potomac.pdf
Terrorism or All-Hazards? Broadening Homeland Security. Anita Dancs, National Priorities Project http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Terrorism%20Or%20All-Hazards.pdf
America's Post 9/11 Military: Can Congress Reform Our Shrinking, Aging, Less Ready, More Expensive Forces? Winslow T. Wheeler, Center for Defense Information http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Post%209-11%20Military.pdf
Funding for Defense, Military Operations, Homeland Security, and Related Activities Since 9/11. Steven Kosiak, Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Funding%20For%20Defense,%20Military%20Operations.pdf
National Security Budgets to Make America Safer. Cindy Williams,
MIT Security Studies Program http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/National%20Security%20Budgets%20To%20
Make%20America%20Safer.pdf
Fighting the "Good Fight:” An Alternative to Current Democratic Proposals For a New National Security Strategy. William D. Hartung, World Policy Institute, Arms Trade Resource Center http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Fighting%20The%20Good%20Fight.pdf
Is the War on Terror “Worth it?” David Gold, New School University http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Is%20The%20War%20On%20Terror%20Worth%20It.pdf
Special Threat: US Nuclear Weapons Policy under the Bush Doctrine. Michael D. Intriligator, Economists for Peace & Security http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Special%20Threat.pdf
Terrorism in Context: Assessing Risks and Solutions. David Colt,
Economists for Peace & Security http://www.proteusfund.org/spwg/pdfs/Terrorism%20In%20The%20Context
%20of%20Other%20Threats.pdf
The journal is aimed at non-specialist readers, including policy analysts, policy and decision makers, national and international civil servants, members of the armed forces and of peacekeeping services, the business community, members of non-governmental organizations and religious institutions, and others. Contributions are scholarly-based, but written in a general-interest style.
Issues of the journal generally are theme-based and contributions are by invitation only; however, readers are invited to write to the editors (editors@epsjournal.org.uk) with proposals for a specific contribution or theme-based symposium (2 - 4 papers). Short letters of less than 500 words commenting on the published pieces are welcome.
The first issue is based on the ECAAR Review 2003, "Conflict or Development" (http://www.epsjournal.org.uk/Vol1/No1/issue.php). Volume 1, No. 2 is entitled "Peacemaking and Peacekeeping." These two issues are available free of charge as an introduction to the journal.
Annual subscription rates for future issues are as follows:
- Standard £22/$40/E€34;
- EPS members £16/$30/E€25;
- Unwaged/Developing countries £11/$20/E€17;
- Institutional £55/$100/E€85.
Fact Sheets: Periodically, we release these two-sided fact sheets designed to give an accessible, graphic look at one specific issue of concern to our members and constituency.
Global Arms Trade 2004 examines the world's supplies of conventional weapons and small arms. http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/globalarmstrade.pdf
Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Welfare compares US and global military spending with the costs of achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals. http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/milexMDG.pdf
The ECAAR Review 2003: Conflict or Development? This edition has a regional focus on Africa, the site of most of the world's current armed conflicts. In its pages some of the leading economists of the day analyze and reflect on the relationships among military spending, domestic and foreign policy, security, and human welfare. Features include country studies, sections on business and conflict, and “Trends in World Military Expenditure.” Written in a scholarly-based, but general-interest style, with informative maps, tables, and graphs, the series is designed to inform the debate among policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, students, and citizens worldwide.
To order the Review, please email Thea Harvey (theaharvey@epsusa.org).
The Review can be a valuable tool in teaching economics, political science, and international relations courses. If you are interested in teaching this book, please contact Thea Harvey (theaharvey@epsusa.org) for a copy to review.
Data Resource webpage offers links to data sources for:
- International military expenditure and conflict indicators
- US military expenditure and capabilities
- Western Europe
- Russia
http://www.epsusa.org/network/data.htm. If you know of a data source that you feel should be added to our list, please contact our webmaster, Leilah Ward at leilahward@epsusa.org
The Nuclear Information and Resource Service is working to build new coalitions of renewable energy groups and trade associations, safe energy and environmental groups, businesses and others to redirect our nation’s energy priorities away from nuclear power and fossil fuels and towards the renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that can cleanly and sustainably power our future and at the same time address the global climate crisis. Their website offers action opportunities such as the sustainable energy petition http://www.nirs.org/petition/index.php?r=sb; resources including fact sheets, international news, audio, video, great quotes and a photo gallery.
Check out this groovy flash video explaining how all those pro-nuclear power arguments from the 70s are now back "in." http://www.nirs.org/nukeretro/index.htm
On January 3, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a new report documenting ExxonMobil’s use of Big Tobacco tactics to delay meaningful action on global warming. It’s time to call on the new Congress to reject ExxonMobil’s disinformation campaign. Tell your senators and representative to eliminate billions of dollars in tax breaks for major oil companies and support bills that ensure reductions in global warming pollution.
View Smoke, Mirrors, and Hot Air: How ExxonMobil uses Big Tobacco Tactics to Manufacture Uncertainty on Climate Science (pdf).http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/exxon_report.pdf
To write to your Congressional representatives and let them know how you feel about this issue, go to http://ucsaction.org/campaign/1_3_07_Exxon_report/iuku6gnrht33wx8?
Anyone who would be willing to put an EPS flyer up on a departmental bulletin board or similar venue, please contact Thea Harvey at theaharvey@epsusa.org.
January 25, 2007. The Straus Military Reform Project is sponsoring a briefing with Retired Army Maj. Donald E. Vandergriff on his newest work, Raising the Bar: Creating and Nurturing Adaptability to Deal with the Changing Face of War. He will address the fundamental reasons why America’s military leadership has failed to adapt quickly and effectively to unfolding events in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he describes what actions are needed to produce an officer corps that can cope effectively with the form of warfare we face today. The event takes place at the The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC at 2:00pm. Copies of the book will be provided. Please RSVP to Winslow Wheeler at winslowwheeler@comcast.net
February 2, 2007. The study group on the Economics of Security: Five Years after 9/11, co-sponsored by The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs, the Arms Trade Resource Center at the World Policy Institute, and the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, present Jack Snyder, Columbia University, speaking on Democratization and Civil War.
This session will be held at The New School, 66 West 12th Street, Room 510, New York, NY. Coffee and light snacks will be served at 1:30pm; discussion will begin promptly at 2:00pm and will end no later than 4:00pm. Please RSVP to Sean Costigan at costigan@sipo.gess.ethz.ch
February 23 - 25, 2007. Eastern Economics Association meetings. New York, NY. http://www.iona.edu/eea/ Please see above for EPS activities at the meetings.
February 24, 2007. The Henry George School of Social Science will celebrate its 75th Anniversary with a free buffet dinner during the Eastern Economics Association (EEA) meetings in New York, NY. EPS members are invited to attend. Contact Alanna Hartzok at earthrts@pa.net or (717) 264-0957 to register. More information about the school can be found at http://www.henrygeorgeschool.org/index.html
March 15 - 18, 2007. 63rd International Atlantic Economic Conference in Madrid, Spain. http://www.iaes.org/conferences/future/madrid_63/index.htm
July 12 - 14, 2007. The 11th Annual Conference on Economics & Security will take place in Bristol, UK, sponsored by Economists for Peace and Security, the Arms Production and Trade Group, the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol. The conference will have a public lecture, plenary sessions with keynote speakers, plus specialist workshop streams.
Call for papers: http://carecon.org.uk/Conferences/Conf2007/Call2007.pdf
To keep up with conference developments, visit: http://carecon.org.uk/Conferences/Conf2007/CONF2007.html
If you have enjoyed this issue of EPS NewsNotes, or if you wish to support our mission, please consider making a donation to EPS. You can do so securely online through our website or by sending a check to:
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