Why Is Afghanistan In Such A Situation?

First, let’s summarize the current situation of Afghanistan for those who do not know, then move on to the question in the title.

Despite 20 years of efforts by the international community, Afghanistan is still a country where bombs explode every other day in its big cities, people are killed for mobile phones in broad daylight, and young school-age children are kidnapped for ransom. The reason for this is the prevailing unemployment in the country, and the economic misery and poverty caused thereof. There is almost no state authority, the gangs who take advantage of this have made kidnapping for ransom a new source of income. In any case, there is no state that can call them to account.

So how did Afghanistan end up like this? Contrary to the expectations of some conspiracy-enthusiast friends, let me briefly describe what has happened in the last 20 years without mentioning the US and NATO’s Afghanistan policies. Because the West’s Afghanistan policy and its sins is the subject of a separate article.

When the new administration was formed in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, a mixed government consisting of good and bad guys was set up. That is to say, about half of the cabinet was made up of former warlords, commanders and tribal chiefs who intercepted, kidnapped, destroyed cities, and the other half were professional Afghans who were educated at home or abroad.

When the bad guys started – by taking the authority of the state behind them with the titles such as minister, army commander, police chief and governor – to do their corruption that they used to do in past, the good guys also gained authority and power in the state and turned towards bribery and corruption. Thus, a lot of educated Afghans who, as recently as yesterday, lived a humble life in the West or other countries as ordinary civil servants suddenly became dollar millionaires. When the man at the top of the administration or his relatives got involved in this, the fish rotted from the head down.

When billions of dollars from the West were wasted and did not reach the intended places, there was a great disappointment and confidence crisis among the people. And ordinary people, especially rural people slowly began to shift towards the Taliban for security, justice, rights and law. Thus, while the Taliban gained power and prestige, the government fell out of the public eye.

The withdrawal of 150,000 American and NATO troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2014 brought the Afghan economy to the point of collapse. Because, the NATO force was providing employment to approximately 2 million Afghans directly or indirectly. When the unemployed Afghans in hundreds of thousands hit the road to go to the West, Turkey also took its share of it on the migration route.

One of the problems caused by unemployment and misery has been the emergence of gangs that kidnapped for ransom in big cities. Taking advantage of the weakness of the state, the gangs made kidnapping for ransom a new line of business and livelihood. 9-year-old Abdurrauf, who has been kept in chains and blindfold for 2 months, is one of the last victims of the gangs.

Between 2004-2007, we held meetings with President Karzai’s team every week as a NATO consultant. It was the beginning of the rush of bribery and corruption. I made this suggestion to them:

“A historical opportunity has come to you, more than 50 countries are here to help Afghanistan, take advantage of it. Identify all infrastructure needs (roads, bridges, clinics, schools, fountains, hospitals, etc.) in 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Share the development work in 34 provinces among donor countries. For example, give 3 provinces to Turkey, and tell them, instead of giving money to the Afghan government itself, let the Turks do all the reconstruction works in these three provinces. The Turkish government would naturally award tenders to Turkish companies, and they would use Afghan companies as subcontractors. Thus, while roads, bridges, schools or clinics are being built in any province, it wouldn’t not be possible for Afghan authorities to take bribes and the aid would reach the needy to a large extent.

Also set up about 20 factories on the outskirts of Kabul to meet the needs of NATO soldiers. Thus, the money of NATO, which spends 400 million dollars per annum to purchase a thousand kinds of products such as toilet paper, coca cola-fanta, soda, stationery, packaged food, bottled water from Dubai, should remain in Afghanistan and create employment for thousands of people. . ”

Although Karzai’s team said “good idea, let’s do it”, none of this was put into practice. Only in the last years of NATO, a few factories were established on the outskirts of Kabul, but of course this was too little too late.

To sum up, the vast majority of aid sent to Afghanistan in the last 20 years has been wasted and here we are. The international community, seeing that 20 years of effort and aid was wasted, is now tired of Afghanistan.

As the US prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan through a patchy peace deal with the Taliban, the Afghan government is currently in a painful and difficult meeting with its arch-enemy, the Taliban. We will soon see what will happen.