Photograph Source: Benjamin D Applebaum – Public Domain
Aggressors should compensate their victims for those killed, wounded, or displaced by their attacks as well as for damage to their buildings, bridges, and environment. By this logic, Iraq was forced to pay some $52.4 billion to Kuwait for damages resulting from Saddam Hussein’s 1990-1991 invasion and occupation. The process was managed by the United Nations Compensation Commission, created in 1991 as a subsidiary organ of the UN Security Council to handle claims and payments for losses and damage suffered by Kuwait. Using revenue from oil sales, Iraq made its final payment in 2022.
The damages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US attacks on Iran have far exceeded Iraq’s obligations to Kuwait.
Vladimir Putin’s Special Military Operation has killed or wounded nearly a million Ukrainians—civilians and military. What is the value of one life? Depending on circumstances, the US government values one American life at $1 million to $10 million. While Ukraine’s economy is much smaller than the US, each Ukrainian life must still be worth at least $100,000. So the compensation for killing half a million Ukrainians would be close to $50 billion. If the damage for each of the 500,000 people wounded is valued at $10,000 each, that would add another $5 billion. Add another $10 billion for the millions of Ukrainians displaced and $10 billion for those suffering from PTSD. Damage to Ukraine’s buildings and infrastructure amounts to nearly $600 billion, according to the World Bank. Damage to the environment—soil, water, air, wildlife–could amount to another $600 billion. Bottom line: Russia owes Ukraine nearly $2 trillion for damage by Putin’s forces.
Putin’s war has also killed and wounded nearly one million Russian and ethnic minority soldiers, for whom restitution has been promised. Someone must also pay for the tanks, armored cars, missiles, planes, ships, and oil refineries devoured by the war. Russia’s wealth has also been depleted by slower GDP growth and the many problems caused by foreign sanctions. For its unprovoked Special Military Operation, the Kremlin owes its own subjects as much as it owes Ukraine–a total approaching $4 trillion.
Russia’s president could and should pay half this bill from his private hoard. The other half could and should be paid by Russian taxpayers, who did not launch this war but did almost nothing to stop it.
The US attacks on Iran have probably killed over 3300 civilians and military. If each Iranian life is valued at $100,000, that puts the total at over $300 million. Add $10,000 for each of 10,000 wounded— another $100 million due to Iranians. To assess damage to Iran’s infrastructure and the environment requires more information. But the United States probably owes the Iranian people and the regime, more than $1 trillion for its unprovoked damage to human and material assets.
Relatively few Americans have been killed or wounded in the Iran war, but the Pentagon has consumed hardware and fuel in ways that burned through close to $30 billion. The president now seeks to raise the defense budget by one-half to $1.5 trillion. Harvard economist Linda Bilmes estimates that the long-term costs of the Iran “excursion” (Trump’s term) will exceed $1 trillion including interest and veterans’ benefits.
The big picture is that the Trump administration should compensate Americans and billions of people around the world for the losses they suffer due to this entirely optional war. Inflated prices for fuel and other basics are part of these losses. So are 401(k) stock market losses. Higher prices for fuel and fertilizer are a serious blow to farmers everywhere and can inflict food shortages around the globe.
Should US taxpayers shoulder the expenses of a disastrous war launched and continued by a lone US president with hardly any support from the public, Congress, or his own cabinet? No! Since this war has been the brainchild of one man, Donald J. Trump, he should compensate his victims—at home and abroad–from his personal accounts, already bloated by his illegal emoluments as president. If his personal accounts run low, he might ask his sons, his son-in-law or accomplice Bibi for help, since they too have profited from his actions.
How to compel the Russian and US presidents to honor their debts is another question, But first we need to recognize the magnitude of their obligations.
