@techreport{NBERw9361,
 title = "The Economic Consequences of a War in Iraq",
 author = "William D. Nordhaus",
 institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research",
 type = "Working Paper",
 series = "Working Paper Series",
 number = "9361",
 year = "2002",
 month = "December",
 URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w9361",
 abstract = {Much has been written about the national-security aspects of a potential conflict with Iraq, but there are no studies of the cost.  A review of several past wars indicates that nations historically have consistently underestimated the cost of military conflicts.  This study reviews the potential costs of a conflict including the postwar expenses that might be required for occupation, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, nation-building along with the implications for oil markets and macroeconomic activity.  It considers two potential scenarios that span the potential outcomes, ranging from a short and relatively conflict-free case to protracted conflict with difficult and expensive postwar reconstruction and occupation. The estimates of the cost to the United States over the decade following hostilities range from $100 billion to $1.9 trillion.},
}