JP: stability on a regional scale is not a bad thing. Infidel troops are unwelcome, but infidel tourist dollars will eventually be irresistible.
And the tax rate doesn't tell the story. every penny of the Iraq war is borrowed from Japan, China, Eurpoean countries... etc. And effectively, the debt service on this borrowing falls on your children and their children.
http://havenworks.com/us/debt/