Opportunity Cost

Matthew Yglesias once again raises the point that while the Iraqi people might be better off as a result of the Iraq conflict, opportunity costs need to be considered when deciding whether such wars are a good idea in the future. I don't agree with everything he says, especially about the value of freedom itself, but the fact remains that compared to expending our resources on some African health issue or something, most humanitarian wars aren't the best ways to be a global do-gooder.