Corruption in Afghanistan:

Corruption in Afghanistan:

As Afghanistan struggles to maintain stability in the face of a growing insurgency from the
Taliban, one of the biggest factors that will determine its success is whether its citizens
believe that supporting the government will improve their lives more than ignoring or
opposing it. Corruption lies at the heart of this calculation because it prevents money and
services from being delivered to the population and, in many cases, corrupt officials
actually take money from the people in the form of bribes. Corruption also promotes
impunity and fuels anger over injustice by enabling powerful and predatory leaders to buy
their way out of accountability for crimes they have committed. If the Afghan government
is seen by a majority of people as taking more from corruption than it gives in the form of
justice and security, then it will lose popular support in favor of tribal or Taliban leaders who
can deliver both better.
The problem of corruption in Afghanistan has many causes. Over the past eight years
since the 2001 Bonn Agreement established a new democratic order in the country, a
tremendous amount of money and new resources have become available in the form of
foreign donor assistance, new business contracts, and increased trade (of both legal and
illegal products). The Afghan government has not developed administrative or judicial
institutions to manage these resources transparently, which in turn creates large
opportunities for elites to enrich themselves at the expense of the country. Many of the
largest contracts for construction, transportation, supply of fuel, and control of natural
resources have been awarded to a handful of powerful families through non-competitive
processes. The Afghan police and court system are also part of the problem because they
are often corrupt themselves or at least have no power to punish powerful figures who
have stolen from the State.
Fixing corruption in Afghanistan will be a long and difficult task. But it must start at the top,
by removing senior officials that are responsible for the largest corrupt abuse. At the same
time, more transparent budgeting and contracting may empower citizens to understand
better where the resources provided for their benefit are actually going and therefore to
hold leaders accountable for how they are actually used.
—Scott Worden, Rule of Law Program, U.S. Institute of Peace