Let’s not forget the Neocons are also losing Afghanistan

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

One of my favorite quotes from Mahatma Ghandi equates violence with evil:

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

The war in Afghanistan proves Ghandi’s point. Seven years of war under Bush and Cheney dislodged the Taliban from power, but has failed to bring peace, rebuild the war-torn infrastructure, foster human rights, or create a viable economy. To date, 491 American and 295 NATO soldiers have given their life in Afghanistan. The civilian and military toll among the Afghanis is uncounted. The American taxpayer is now paying 100 million dollars a day in Afghanistan. The only viable economic options in Afghanistan are growing opium and carrying a gun for the Taliban or a war lord. Education and health care are non-existent. In fact, Iraq is more stable than Afghanistan, a clear sign of failure.

A recent article in the Guardian shows why the American neocons cannot win a war and create a lasting peace with the most powerful military force in the world. Bush and friends live by the following credo:

I love violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the opportunities for corruption and exploitation are endless.

The article by Richard Norton-Taylor provides three insights every American taxpayer and military service member  needs to understand.

1. The amount of aid to rebuild the infrastructure and economy in Afghanistan has been inadequate.

Since Bush invaded, 25 billion dollars in aid has been pledged by the international community.  Of those pledges, only 15 billion has actually been delivered. The Bush administration is the biggest deadbeat in living up to those pledges.

The report by Acbar, an alliance of international aid agencies working in the country, including Oxfam, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and Save the Children, says the international community has pledged $25bn to Afghanistan since 2001 but only $15bn has been delivered.

The US is the biggest donor to Afghanistan but is also responsible for one of the biggest shortfalls. The US delivered only half of the $10.4bn it committed between 2002 and 2008, according to the Afghan government, today’s report says.

We promised over 10 billion dollars and delivered only 5 billion to help the people of Afghanistan create a viable economy. To put that 5 billion dollars in aid over 7 years into some context, 5 billion dollars equals 1.5 months of military funding in Afghanistan and 10 days of military funding in Iraq. This makes as much sense as spending a small fortune in fighting cancer in a person dying of malnutrition, dehydration, and exposure.

2. The US aid has been squandered on multinational corporations instead of going to support Afghani companies.

The report estimated that 40% of the aid money spent in Afghanistan has found its way back to rich donor countries such as the US through corporate profits, consultants’ salaries and other costs, significantly inflating the cost of projects.

For example, a road between the centre of Kabul and the international airport cost over $2.3m per kilometre in US aid money, at least four times the average cost of building a road in Afghanistan, today’s report says.

Afghanistan’s biggest donor, USAid, allocates nearly half its funds to five big contractors. The US government has awarded major contracts, some worth hundreds of millions of dollars, to KBR, the Louis Berger group, Chemonics International, Bearing Point, and Dyncorp International, according to a study by the US-based Centre for Public Integrity quoted in today’s report.

If a road costs four times what it should cost if it were being build by the Afghanis, then 75% of the money is being used to line the pockets of multinational corporations and a few public officials. Without the neocon corruption overhead factor, the aid money could have accomplished much more for the people of Afghanistan.

3. There is no strategic plan to rebuild Afghanistan, monitor the use of aid money, or measure success.

With no plan and no management of what little money has been devoted to rebuilding this shattered country, the military efforts in Afghanistan are guaranteed of failure. Winning the hearts and minds of the Afghanis require a concerted effort to create a viable economy and provide critical services to the people. It is clear that the Bush administration gave as much thought to rebuilding Afghanistan as it did in preparation and response to domestic disasters like Katrina.

My heart goes out to the people of Afghanistan who thought that America was interested in helping them recover and rebuild after nearly forty years of conflict. My heart also goes out to the men and women who have served in Afghanistan with distinction with the hope of bringing a better future to Afghanistan.  These hopes and sacrifices are no match for the bloodlust, incompetence, and corruption of the Bush administration.