U.S. Pledge to Afghanistan: National Security and Aid

The United States has pledged to support Afghanistan for ten years after the withdrawal of U.S. military personnel in 2014. The announcement of this partnership raises interesting questions about the nature of nation-building and aid, as well as U.S. interests in the state and region. While the partnership sends a message to the Afghan people that the West will not abandon them, it also sends a warning to the Taliban and neighboring states that a Western departure will not be an opportunity for them.

The announcement is timely given the recent controversies that have marred America's relationship with Afghanistan—the burning of Korans by U.S. soldiers, the recent release of photographs showing soldiers posing with Afghan bodies, and the murderous rampage of Staff Sergeant Robert Bales. The announcement of continued American support signifies an attempt to assuage such tensions while making a graceful exit, but is a long-term influx of American aid what is needed in Afghanistan?

Writing in the Guardian in November 2011, Bill Easterly warns of the American tendency to use development initiatives as opportunities to strengthen defense. Easterly suggests that the American habit of providing aid to war-torn and fragile states in the interest of national security is "misguided." Instead the focus should be on "areas with a better track record—health, education, infrastructure, and clean water and sanitation—operating in societies where war, repression and corruption do not make it pointless for aid to operate."

Perhaps a more potent question that rises from the American pledge is: Will it even work? Speaking at Carnegie Council in 2011, Francis Fukuyama discussed the problems that arise when outside influences attempt to help a nation rebuild itself: "I don't think we realize how difficult it is, how many resources it takes, and how long a process it is." Economist Dambisa Moyo is more specific in her criticism of outside influence, stating that the problem with aid is that citizens cannot hold their governments fully accountable as the agendas of aid donors often influence any decision made. In the case of Afghanistan, will the American partnership hinder government with hidden agendas or will Afghanistan benefit from the protection of the U.S from potential threats?

Further Reading:

"The Ethics of Exit from Afghanistan" Carnegie New Leaders Program: Katherine Brown, Robert Diamond, David C. Speedie

"Troops in Afghanistan and Fighting Foreign Wars" Global Ethics Corner

"Symposium: The Ethics of America's Afghan War." Carnegie Council

"A Look at Current U.S. Security Issues". Jeffery D. McCausland, Phillip McCausland

"Building Peace and Civil Society in Afghanistan: Challenges and Opportunities." Ana Cutter

"International Aid: Does Help Hurt?" Global Ethics Corner