A Drake University professor estimates the Iraq war is costing Iowa taxpayers more than two-billion dollars a year.

Ismael Hossein-Zadeh has written a book entitled "The Political Economy of U.S. Militarism." He says Iowa’s annual share of U.S. military spending is $2.4 billion, but the indirect cost of the war is even higher. "For example, it has created a consumer backlash in the Middle East and the Muslim world at large," he says. "That means we cannot sell as much agricultural goods to that part of the world as we could."

Hossein-Zadeh says Iowa is among the states which get a very small share of Pentagon contracts. He also argues war spending is deferring attention to crucial domestic problems.  "It’s interesting that a smaller state like Iowa has perhaps tens of thousands of bridges that are need repair and we cannot afford that because every day we are sending close to half a trillion dollars…to Iraq and Afghanistan," he says.

The professor made his comments during taping of the Iowa Public TV program, "The Iowa Journal," which airs tonight at 6:30.