Afghan direction in question
First-grade students in a girls school in the Daykundi Province of Afghanistan. The school, with more than 575 students, teaches eight subjects. Credit: AP/U.S. Army
With 97 cents of every dollar of Afghanistan's official economic output dependent on the presence of the international military and donor community, it's time to ask whether U.S. foreign aid is doing more harm than good there after a decade of war.
The United States has poured $18.8 billion in nonmilitary aid into that country over 10 years to promote stability, build Afghan institutions, create jobs and weaken support for insurgency. There have been successes, according to an evaluation of our nation-building effort from Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff. A sevenfold increase in the number of children attending school, for instance.
But the downside has been considerable. So much money flowing into a poor country has distorted the economy and fueled corruption and waste. Most U.S. aid has bypassed the Afghan government and gone directly to international firms. The result has been duplicative projects and high salaries that have drawn talented Afghans away from government jobs and fostered dependence on aid. Efforts to discourage poppy cultivation have largely failed.
Reflecting a growing sentiment, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said U.S. spending in Afghanistan is neither proportional to our interests nor sustainable. With confirmation hearings this week for a new defense secretary and an ambassador, the public needs answers about what the United States is doing in Afghanistan and how long we should continue doing it. hN
