Follow us on social

Shutterstock_726008992-scaled-e1644978560387

The War on Terror led to over 4.5 million deaths: report

The new estimate highlights the deadly and ongoing impact of America’s post-9/11 wars.

North America

America’s post-9/11 wars have led to more than 4.5 million deaths, according to a major new report from the Costs of War Project at Brown University.

Roughly 1 million of these deaths came from direct combat in war zones across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen, while the remaining 3.5 million are “indirect deaths” that resulted from the conflicts’ “destruction of economies, public services, and the environment,” according to the report.

The sobering findings highlight the long-term effects of the Global War on Terror, which has been the deadliest fight of the 21st century so far. The death toll, which Brown researchers described as a “reasonable and conservative estimate,” rivals that of major post-WWII conflicts, including the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

“In a place like Afghanistan, the pressing question is whether any death can today be considered unrelated to war,” said Stephanie Savell, the report’s author, in a statement. “Wars often kill far more people indirectly than in direct combat, particularly young children.”

Savell explained on Twitter that, while each war has complex causes, she chose to include conflicts where “U.S. counterterrorism has played a vital role in at the very least intensifying the violence.”

The impacts of those wars have yet to subside. As the report notes, an additional 7.6 million young children suffer from acute malnutrition today in post-9/11 war zones. And both locals and U.S. veterans continue to face physical and mental health challenges arising out of the conflicts.

Notably, the research does not attempt to assign responsibility for each death to any single party, opting instead to identify leading drivers of mortality. One key factor was the destruction of different types of key infrastructure, including hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

“[A]t the height of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the disastrous state of roads and traffic systems led to as many if not more fatalities than the conflict itself,” the report notes, adding that the “destruction of ports, urban buildings, and electrical systems also have negative effects.”

The war in Libya led to a nine-year drop in life expectancy for men and a six-year drop for women. In Afghanistan, one in ten newborn babies died during the first three months of 2022.

The report concludes by calling on the United States and other involved countries to “alleviate human suffering resulting from the post-9/11 wars.”

“These wars are ongoing for millions around the world who are living with and dying from their effects,” Savell wrote. “Reparations, though not easy or cheap, are imperative.”


Kirkuk, Iraq. December 2005 (Photo credit: serkan senturk / Shutterstock.com)
North America
Israel
Top image credit: Skorzewiak via shutterstock.com

Who are the 'influencers' Israel is paying $7k per post?

Washington Politics

On Tuesday, RS published a story about how Israel is paying a cohort of 14-18 social media influencers around $7,000 per post to promote the country’s image in the American public. The campaign, nicknamed “Esther Project,” is coordinated by a newly created firm working out of a Capitol Hill rowhouse called Bridges Partners, and is slated to run through November.

However, as of publication, it is unclear who the influencers themselves are. According to the contract, they were supposed to begin posting on behalf of Israel in July, yet have not registered as foreign agents. By not registering as foreign agents and disclosing their names, the influencers are likely in violation of the U.S.’s premier foreign lobbying law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. FARA experts say they must also mark their content on social media so that viewers know it is content sponsored by Israel.

keep readingShow less
Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt
Top photo credit: Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt, in Cairo, Egypt September 29, 2025. Abdulla Al Bedwawi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS

Egypt stepping out from Israel's shadow? It depends.

Middle East

Various forces, from tariffs to wars to the emerging multipolar world order, are potentially reshaping the Middle East and its alliances, and Egypt is playing a leading role. However, Egypt’s vision is bumping up against the reality that its dependence on Washington limits those shifting alliances and Egypt’s ability to play a leading role in them.

Time will tell how far Egypt can go.

keep readingShow less
Trump Putin
Top image credit: President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin participate in a joint press conference in Anchorage, Alaska, Friday, August 15, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Could bioweapons be center of gravity for US-Russia talks?

Latest

The deep freeze in U.S.-Russia relations shows occasional, promising cracks. It happened recently not on the primary issue of conflict — the war on Ukraine — but on a matter of mutual survival. During the United Nations General Assembly President Donald Trump announced an initiative to address one of arms control's most intractable problems: verifying compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

"To prevent potential disasters, I'm announcing today that my administration will lead an international effort to enforce the biological weapons convention by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust,” Trump said. He framed this as an urgent priority, claiming "many countries are continuing extremely risky research into bioweapons and man-made pathogens."

The proposal found immediate endorsement in Moscow. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered unusually direct support, calling the initiative "brilliant in itself" and declaring that "Moscow supports it." Crucially, Peskov proposed concrete next steps, suggesting the U.S. proposal should be negotiated and formally codified in international agreements.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.