A.M.
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Read my first article on PDF: Pakistan: A Nation for Hire?
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Afghanistan: A Nation at a Standstill
Written by user A.M. for Pakistan Defense Forums
South Western part of Asia has experienced tremendous change over the past decade. Geopolitical atmosphere in the region is severely different from where it was 10 years ago and continues to evolve each and every day, nations have forged strategic partnerships, economies have improved and the overall security situation is significantly better. Pakistan is in the midst of implementing a significant foreign investment, India has solidified its stature as a major player around the world and Sri Lanka continues to grow its economy at one of the highest rates around the world. However, there is one nation that refuses to leave its past behind, refuses to accept and tackle its internal problems and refuses to put an end to the blame game. That country, of course, is Afghanistan.
It’s been fourteen years since America invaded Afghanistan after 9/11 and removed the Taliban from power. Mr. Hamid Karzai was selected to lead the country and to usher in an era of positivity and progress. The hope was that the country would be able to move away from the regressive politics of the Taliban and would join the world as a revitalized nation. After more than a decade and tens of billions spent, the country seems to be in the same place that it was before. Karzai’s government can easily be classified as an utter failure, the economy remains stale and the security situation seems as perilous as ever. What has also stayed consistent is the blame game that continues to be played by the government officials. A culture has been developed over the past decade where the cause for the country’s problems are often shifted elsewhere.
The U.S. has appropriated over a hundred billion dollars in aid to Afghanistan over the last fourteen years; with an estimated population of 31.1M, this amounts to $3,300 per person. That's enough money to build thousands of schools, hospitals, roads and bridges and still have vast amount of funds left over to train a proper army. Despite the abundant aid, the country has displayed limited progress and improvement. The government continues to fail at providing good governance, delivering basic services to majority of the population and guaranteeing security for its citizens. It was reported during late 2014 that the government’s sphere of influence only extends to an hour’s drive outside of Kabul.
Multiple international studies have been conducted to determine the reasons for the ineffectiveness of the foreign aid and the results continue to highlight the same underlying problem; Corruption. Afghanistan ranks 174 from 176 in Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index, and is routinely named as one of the world's five most corrupt countries. The NY Times noted in an article that, “corruption can no longer be described as a cancer on the system: It is the system”.
The citizens of Afghanistan are well aware of this problem and noted as such in a 2011 survey by the Asia Foundation, where they said corruption was their “third biggest problem (21%) after insecurity (35%) and unemployment (23%)”. A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that only 10 percent of Afghanistan’s economy is legitimate, the rest is black market commerce immersed in corrupt practices which include rampant nepotism. Other reports confirm that majority of the aid delivered to the country has had limited to no impact on improving the situation on the ground. One report even went as far as saying that the aid hasn’t “bought even one sustainable institution or program.”
The country’s security forces haven’t fared any better. Corruption aside, the main problem plaguing the forces seems to be overall incompetence. After more than 10 years of training and having the latest military hardware at their disposal, the Afghan forces remain incapable of operating on their own, a fact only acknowledged privately by US officials. Only fourteen percent of troops are capable of operating with assistance from “advisers”. In other words, they can operate effectively only if U.S. or NATO troops join them on the mission. Another problem is a lack of trained, literate, competent men to serve as officers. A report as of 2012 noted a NCO shortfall of over 10,000. Another significant problem is attrition where soldiers simply don’t show up.
A stable and prosper Afghanistan is in the best interest of the entire region surrounding it. After years of foreign investment and assistance, the evident lack of economic and security improvement is no one’s fault but the country’s own. Often times, it is easy to shift blame so that one doesn’t have to face the hard questions. It is also very easy to point fingers at others because it means that you don’t have to accept your shortcomings. But the fact remains that any improvement in the country won’t be possible until its internal problems are accepted and highlighted. The first step of addressing any problem is admitting that you have one; something that Afghanistan’s government and citizens will have to start doing very soon.
