Twentieth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

One of the most formidable economies of commerce in the world is war, especially for the United States. Excluding operational costs, the price of the United States’ post-9/11 wars is over $6 trillion dollars. Despite the United States’ reputation of having a military budget ($715 billion for the 2022 FY) the size of the next seven military budgets in the world (combined), war is not solely a product of the USA. War operations in Afghanistan (2001-2014) cost the UK around $10 billion, while Russia paid a higher bill – around $50 billion – for its time in Afghanistan (1979-1989). As one of America’s longest wars ends in 2021, the humanities are a resource for learning about all the costs of war. Civilian casualties, geographical destruction, and combatant fatalities are stories the humanities tell when talking about war. This paper seeks to assess literary works (including civilian and veteran memoirs) as well as culturally historic and relevant music lyrics regarding the human costs of the United States’ wars on terror. Popular music references public opinion of the wars, and literature expands our understanding of the human experience in war. Interrogating interdisciplinary humanities allows us to ask: what did we lose that has no clear monetary value, yet must be recognized when calculating the full cost of war?