Afghanistan’s Corruption Crisis: A Failure of US Leadership
A Recipe for Disaster
In the early years of the Afghanistan war, a financial enforcement group, TRACA, sought to pursue the Dubai assets of Farnood, a key player in the country’s corrupt banking system. However, Afghan President Hamid Karzai intervened on Farnood’s behalf, and US policymakers failed to act decisively.
The Consequences of Corruption
Karzai’s inaction allowed Farnood and his co-conspirator Ferozi to receive lenient sentences of just five years in prison, while lower-level bank employees received disproportionately long sentences. This episode highlights the systemic corruption that plagued Afghanistan during the war and the failure of US leadership to address it.
- Afghan army promotions went to the most politically connected officers
- Military contracts were filled only if kickbacks were given
- Wounded soldiers often had to bribe medical personnel to receive treatment
- Officials skimmed from pension funds for widows who lost loved ones in battle
A Failure of US Leadership
US efforts to improve governance in Afghanistan were too little, too late. The country’s corruption was a recipe for disaster, and the US failure to address it has had far-reaching consequences.
Lessons Learned
As the US promotes anticorruption foreign policy across the developing world, policymakers must learn from their mistakes in Afghanistan. They must understand that improving governance requires patience, resources, troops, and diligence over the long term.
- Rushing to support emerging governments without developing government capacity is a recipe for disaster
- The US must take a hard look at its own failures in Afghanistan and apply those lessons to future interventions
References
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- US Institute for International Peace