CIAO DATE: 08/2011
August 2011
Aid and Conflict in Afghanistan, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines how, despite billions of dollars in aid, state institutions remain fragile and unable to provide good governance, deliver basic services to the majority of the population or guarantee security. The insurgency is spreading to areas regarded as relatively safe until now, and policymakers in Washington and other Western capitals are seeking a way out of an unpopular war. Meanwhile, the international community still lacks a coherent policy to strengthen the state ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign forces by December 2014. “The U.S.-led counter-insurgency doctrine that aid should consolidate military gains has been at best unsuccessful, if not counter-productive”, says Samina Ahmed, Crisis Group’s South Asia Project Director. “The blurring of lines between needs-based assistance and the war effort has challenged the ability of non-governmental organisations to operate in areas outside coalition and government forces’ control. As security deteriorates further, entire communities could be denied access to humanitarian assistance and basic services”. In their haste to demonstrate progress, donors have pegged much aid to short-term military objectives and timeframes. A rush to the exit and ill-conceived plans for reconciliation with the insurgency by the U.S. and its allies could threaten such gains as have been achieved in education, health and women’s rights since the Taliban’s ouster. Meanwhile, the amount of international aid disbursed since 2001 -- $57 billion against $90 billion pledged -- is only a fraction of what has been spent on the war effort.
Resource link: Aid and Conflict in Afghanistan [PDF] - 919K