The Trump administration continues to view Afghanistan as a country exclusively within Washington’s zone of influence. For many years, despite loud voices from opposition-minded American politicians and the public, the United States has funded the ruling regime of the Islamic republic. In order to maintain at least visible stability in the region, colossal taxpayers’ funds are spent. However, numerous leaks clearly indicate that financial aid often does not reach its final recipients, thanks to sophisticated corruption schemes in which the US military, business leaders and prominent politicians have become involved.
In 2019-2020 inspectors, when conducting audits at Pentagon financial institutions, found that funds allocated for Afghanistan’s development were often distributed among contractors and subcontractors through a complex system of contracts. As journalists from The Washington Post state after examining hundreds of documents in their possession, “… senior US officials lied for 18 years during the campaign in Afghanistan, making rosy statements and concealing unmistakable evidence that the it was impossible towin the war».
US Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan John Sopko in his report to Congress noted that contracts for the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the American and NATO contingents, as well as the Afghan security forces «… are carried out without regard to economic expediency and at inflated prices, beneficial to American manufacturers.» At the same time, financial assistance to the Afghan security forces is provided through their own funds, and not through international structures.
The fact of the Afghan administration’s view of American «aid» is indicative. After the announcement of the financial reform in the republic, one of the goals of which was to reassign the departments of the Ministry of Finance to presidential structures, official Washington expressed its sharp dissatisfaction with this turn of events. As a result, reforms have been curtailed, the status quo has been restored. This indicates that stability in the region should not be expected in the near future, since this affects the financial interests of many influential people in the US.
