U.S. Projects In War Zones Are Not Sustainable

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Samuel Toso talks with Mullah Fida Mohammed in Deh Afghanan village, Afghanistan, May 27, 2011. Toso is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, Arghandab detachment. Members visited the village to discuss local governance with elders. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson

U.S. Projects In War Zones Are Unsustainable, Study Finds -- Washington Post

Billions of dollars worth of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects in Afghanistan and Iraq could fall into disrepair over the next few years because inadequate provisions have been made to pay for their ongoing operations and maintenance, according to a report to be released Friday by a bipartisan legislative commission.

The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan says it “sees no indication” that the Pentagon, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development are “effectively taking sustainability risks into account when devising new projects or programs.”

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Update: Commission questions long-term success of int'l projects -- Washington Business Journal

My Comment: Throwing money and resources at a problem rarely succeeds if the culture and environment are not compatible with what the aid is suppose to accomplish. In Afghanistan .... a culture of corruption, tribalism, and a long history of abusing foreign aid will result in a catastrophe and a total waste of money when Western forces and their aid managers leave. In fact .... I am more than willing to claim that even if one trillion dollars is dedicated to Afghanistan right now .... when you go back 10 years from now .... nothing would have changed.