How Much Does Great Powers’ Military Intervention in the Middle East Cost?

Day Figure

Author: Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council

How much does a military intervention by great powers in the Middle East Cost? Is there a direct correlation between “investments” made into military operations and political influence in the region? The estimated cost of the Russian operation in Syria varies widely, from $3.3 million to $8 million per day (which would add up to $1.2 billion and $3 billion, respectively, since the operation began). This is comparable to the amount that the West spent on its air operation in Libya, which continued for eight months (from March to October 2011) and cost around $2 billion. Half of the cost was fronted by the United States, with France and the United Kingdom putting up $489 million and $412 million, respectively. In comparison, France’s four-month intervention in Mali (from January to April 2013) turned out to be quite cheap ($113.2 million).

The U.S. air operations in Iraq and Syria called for greater financial resources. During two years of bombing (from August 2014 to July 2016), the Pentagon spent $8.4 billion on the operation, or $11.9 million per day. But all this is nothing compared to the ground operations carried out by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, which cost hundreds of billions of dollars (trillions of dollars if indirect costs are taken into account). Thus, the amount of money “invested” into military operations is by itself no guarantee that the investor will increase its political influence in the region, or even that it will achieve its short-term military and political goals.

Data obtained from:

– Future for Advanced Research & Studies