I hope I’m not block-quoting too much from Mr. Hodge of Danger Room (go click on some Wired ads or buy a subscription—good enough penance?):
Since 2001, the U.S. has provided approximately $32 billion in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan. That’s on top of the $25.3 billion donated by the international community. If the Iraq experience is any guide, that’s created massive potential for waste, fraud and abuse. The watchdog for Iraq spending, for instance, estimated that around 15 percent — or $3 billion — of the $20 billion spent on major reconstruction projects in Iraq had been wasted.
Allow me to indulge in some fuzzy math. If we assume that money has been spent twice as effectively in Afghanistan — and that’s a big if, considering Afghanistan’s corruption, logistical difficulties and poor rule of law — that’s still $2.4 billion in (potential) wasteful spending out of that $32 billion pot of money. And while it’s important to underscore Washington’s (and the taxpayer’s) commitment to Afghanistan, the firehose of aid money hasn’t exactly won points with ordinary Afghans. If Afghans are on the fence when it comes to supporting their government, enabling more corruption definitely won’t help.
As a Provincial Reconstruction Team guy, this is something I wrestle with. I certainly don’t have sufficient expertise/training/experience to make the best expenditure selections, and I doubt I’m exceptional. Not to be disparaging, but I simply don’t think we’re very good at this kind of thing. Not to be cynical, but I have no ideas on how to get better.
Mr. Hodge links to this NPR article on the Average Mohammad’s view of reconstruction, it’s rather illuminating.
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