The Cost of 911

The Cost of 911

Article title:

The true cost of 9/11: Trillions and trillions wasted on wars, a fiscal catastrophe, and a weaker America.

By Joseph E. Stiglitz   http://www.slate.com/id/2302949/
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“The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks by al-Qaida were meant to harm the United States, and they did, but in ways that Osama Bin Laden probably never imagined. President George W. Bush’s response to the attacks compromised America’s basic principles, undermined its economy, and weakened its security.The attack on Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 attacks was understandable, but the subsequent invasion of Iraq was entirely unconnected to al-Qaida—as much as Bush tried to establish a link. That war of choice quickly became very expensive—orders of magnitude beyond the $60 billion claimed at the beginning—as colossal incompetence met dishonest.”
Key vocabulary and ideas

 

“President George W. Bush’s response to the attacks compromised America’s basic principles, undermined its economy, and weakened its security.”

…a compromis les principes fondamentaux de les Etats-Unis, a sapé son économie, et a affaibli sa sécurité.

“Even if Bush could be forgiven for taking America, and much of the rest of the world, to war on false pretenses, and for misrepresenting the cost of the venture, there is no excuse for how he chose to finance it. His was the first war in history paid for entirely on credit. “

Même si Bush pouvait être pardonné d’avoir amené l’Amérique, et la plupart du reste du monde, en guerre sous de faux prétextes, et d’avoir menti à propos du coût de l’entreprise, il n’ya aucune excuse pour la façon dont il a choisi de le financer.

“Today, America is focused on unemployment and the deficit. Both threats to America’s future can, in no small measure, be traced to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Increased defense spending, together with the Bush tax cuts, is a key reason why America went from a fiscal surplus of 2 percent of GDP when Bush was elected to its parlous deficit and debt position today. “

unemployment and the defecit : chômage et le déficit

be traced to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq : être attribuée à des guerres en Afghanistan et en Irak.

increased defense spending : l’augmentation des dépenses militaires

together with Bush tax cuts : avec les réductions d’impôts de Bush

is a key reason why America went from a fiscal surplus of 2 percent of GDP when Bush was elected to its parlous deficit and debt position today : est une des principales raisons pourquoi l’Amérique est passée d’un excédent budgétaire de 2 pour cent du PIB lorsque Bush a été élu vers un déficit précaire et de la dette aujourd’hui.

Closing paragraph of the article

 

“Al-Qaida, while not conquered, no longer appears to be the threat that loomed so large in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. But the price paid in getting to this point, in the U.S. and elsewhere, has been enormous—and mostly avoidable. The legacy will be with us for a long time. It pays to think before acting.”
This article has been added by the angloXchange team. Your comments are welcome below.

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