Did Foreign Aid destroy Afghanistan?

[papasmurf]

I didn't fancy getting involved

I am not surprised. Not Afghanistan but many years ago I was offered a job for stupidly high pay manufacturing and servicing firearms in what was then and still is now a very dangerous country. I turned the offer down.

[johnofgwent]

There ended up being more mercenaries (contractors,) than American Armed forces, and they are a very dodgy lot.

I didn't fancy getting involved

[papasmurf]

The yes men installed in the Afghan government were indeed corrupt as hell, but they probably paled in comparison to the avarice of the various contractors and other US groups that were active on the ground.

There ended up being more mercenaries (contractors,) than American Armed forces, and they are a very dodgy lot.

[Sampanviking]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9914921/How-aid-billions-squandered-Afghanistan-including-4m-Tuscan-goats-cashmere-trade.html

I try to avoid much of the news on Sundays but the Afghanistan situation has made me break a bit of a rule. We are taught as Christians to love others as ourselves and yet this article points up how the £$billions dumped on Afghanistan has possibly fed the disaster there and far from the intentions of those well meaning politicians etc with their naive plans to instil Western democracy into a culture where Warlords have ruled for centuries, all has resulted in corruption and possibly Taliban wealth to the potential cost to all our security.

It's heartbreaking to feel that so many people might have benefitted if only those in charge had acted in a more principled way. How many other countries are 'aided' by the West for it to only pollute even further?

Unfortunately Toots, Afghanistan was a big financial black hole where absolutely no attempt was made to make any kind of sensible accounting for the sums being pumped in.
The yes men installed in the Afghan government were indeed corrupt as hell, but they probably paled in comparison to the avarice of the various contractors and other US groups that were active on the ground. Pretty hard for Ghani to complain that his CIA handler has creamed off more than half his slush money.

Local Government Military officials may have claimed to have had recruited 500 men. In reality they will have recruited about 50 and pocketed the salaries for the other 450. In addition, all the weapons, kit and ammunition supplied for the none existent (Ghost) 450, would have made a very profitable sideline when sold off to interested parties, which would probably have been the local Taliban....

Oh yes these same characters that spent twenty years with snouts in the trough and the very same as now appearing on TV, wailing and tearing their beards and being so concerned for the plight of the women and children....

[papasmurf]

Really?

Really the now ex president of Afghanistan escaped a few days a go with more cash than could be put in the helicopter.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/russia-afghanistan-president-fled-cars-helicopter-cash-140012850.html

[Thomas]

Government corruption destroyed Afghanistan.

Really?

[papasmurf]

Government corruption destroyed Afghanistan.

[Thomas]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9914921/How-aid-billions-squandered-Afghanistan-including-4m-Tuscan-goats-cashmere-trade.html

I try to avoid much of the news on Sundays but the Afghanistan situation has made me break a bit of a rule. We are taught as Christians to love others as ourselves and yet this article points up how the £$billions dumped on Afghanistan has possibly fed the disaster there and far from the intentions of those well meaning politicians etc with their naive plans to instil Western democracy into a culture where Warlords have ruled for centuries, all has resulted in corruption and possibly Taliban wealth to the potential cost to all our security.

It's heartbreaking to feel that so many people might have benefitted if only those in charge had acted in a more principled way. How many other countries are 'aided' by the West for it to only pollute even further?

Principled way?

I think the mistake you make is believing the political elite have any intention of acting in a principled way in the first place toots.

There are so many "conspiracy theories" about what has happened in afghanistan including the vast wasting of trillions that i cant keep up toots. To be honest , i dont really care either.

[T00ts]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9914921/How-aid-billions-squandered-Afghanistan-including-4m-Tuscan-goats-cashmere-trade.html

I try to avoid much of the news on Sundays but the Afghanistan situation has made me break a bit of a rule. We are taught as Christians to love others as ourselves and yet this article points up how the £$billions dumped on Afghanistan has possibly fed the disaster there and far from the intentions of those well meaning politicians etc with their naive plans to instil Western democracy into a culture where Warlords have ruled for centuries, all has resulted in corruption and possibly Taliban wealth to the potential cost to all our security.

It's heartbreaking to feel that so many people might have benefitted if only those in charge had acted in a more principled way. How many other countries are 'aided' by the West for it to only pollute even further?