U.S. Occupation Assistance: Iraq, Germany and Japan Compared

[Zeebadee]

"Total U.S. assistance to Iraq thus far is roughly equivalent to total assistance
(adjusted for inflation) provided to Germany — and almost double that provided to
Japan — from 1946-1952.

For Germany, in constant 2005 dollars the United States provided a total of
$29.3 billion in assistance from 1946-1952 with 60% in economic grants and nearly
30% in economic loans, and the remainder in military aid. Beginning in 1949, the
Marshall Plan provided $1.4 billion with the specific objective of promoting
economic recovery. Prior to that, U.S. aid was categorized as Government and Relief
in Occupied Areas (GARIOA). Adjusting for inflation, the constant 2005 dollar total
for Marshall Plan aid was $9.3 billion, of which 84% billion was grants and 16% was
loans. (West Germany eventually repaid one-third of total U.S. assistance it
received.)

Total U.S. assistance to Japan for 1946-1952 was roughly $15.2 billion in 2005
dollars, of which 77% was grants and 23% was loans. Most of these funds were
provided through GARIOA grants. Japan repaid $490 million of the total postwar
assistance. Of the $2.2 billion in total aid, an estimated $655 million, or almost a
third, went to categories that would mostly contribute directly to economic recovery
(industrial materials, including machinery and raw goods; petroleum and products;
and transportation, vehicles, and equipment)." http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33331.pdf

And undoubtedly, there will be many more billions thrown into the cesspool that bush has created in Iraq. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to how much will be repaid??