It’s been an embarrassing summer in Afghanistan. The bribery charges of Afghanistan’s top officials, the heavy fighting in Kandahar between the Taliban and U.S. and Afghan forces. The irrational murder of a religious leader.
Today, the Washington Post reports that the corruption issues in Afghanistan’s government are secondary to the goal of removing the Taliban.
Since 2001, the U.S. has spent about $50 billion to rebuild Afghanistan. Much of that money is awarded to contractors. Afghan president Hamed Karzai wants foreign contractors out of Afghanistan because foreign money tied to these contracts fuels the corruption. On that, US policy advisors agree with Karzai.
But some U.S. advisors feel the fight against corruption and the fight against the Taliban are one in the same.
In an effort to understand and eliminate corruption and bribery in Afghanistan's government, General Petraeus has requested top officials do some serious research on how the U.S. awards its contracts. He wants new contract awarding policy guidelines established so that Afghanistan’s key players and high power brokers are directly included in the lucrative business deals.
After 9 years, the U.S. realizes that directly including Afghan businessmen in the rebuilding process may lessen the Taliban’s influence with VIPs in the Kandahar area.
Afghan business men, corrupt and otherwise, depend on U.S. rebuilding contracts for their livelihood.
Consequently, U.S. researchers and advisors are not going to push forward on the corruption scandals because as it stands now, many local leaders as well as criminal syndicates depend on those contracts for their livelihood.
If those funds were eliminated, Afghan’s local and very important businessmen--whether they are affiliated with criminal elements or not-- will likely defect to Taliban idealists and those insurgent citizens who are simply displeased with the Afghanistan government because high ranked officials are acquiring wealth from bribes and corruption that hinder efforts to rebuild the country and its citizens.
Such a union would result in more violence and unrest, particularly in the volatile Kandahar area that serves as the spiritual home of Afghanistan’s Taliban.
Overall, the United States has been forced to bite its own bullet. There are apparent discriminatory practices associated with U.S. rebuilding contracts that have fueled local Afghanistan ire against the U.S. military and the newer Afghan government.
Neither the White House nor the State Department has issued a statement on the U.S. military decision to ease up on the focus to end corruption in the Afghan government.
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