cost in nationalist terms; are these our allies?
(1): But should we? The costs of intervening in the Balkans were extraordinarily low compared to those of invading Iraq. Relying exclusively on air power, the U.S. ultimately succeeded in forcing the Serbs to desist in their campaign against the Albanian Kosovars. The bombing campaign lasted less than three months, and resulted in zero American combat fatalities. By contrast, we're now four years into Iraq, with 3,200 American troops dead, more than $400 billion spent, and no end in sight.
(2): About 17 times as many US troops died in the Vietnam War — the longest war in US history — as have been lost in Iraq, the nation’s third-longest war. Also, despite widespread public dissatisfaction with the Iraq war, the debate over it has not convulsed American society to the extent seen during the Vietnam conflict.