October 2002
Assessing the U.S. Record: Afghanistan One Year Later

On October 18, 2002, Andrew Natsios, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, addressed the accusation that the United States has "lost the peace" in Afghanistan by detailing American objectives and accomplishments in the country over the past year.

The reconstruction of Afghanistan remains a priority for the Bush Administration. Since January 2002, the United States has spent $340 million on humanitarian relief and reconstruction programs, and an additional $73 million for rebuilding roads will be designated. The United States will have to remain in Afghanistan for at least a decade to ensure that these projects are completed and that the state consolidates its authority. Reconstruction efforts, however, must respect Afghan culture and their vision for their country.

There are currently four economies functioning in Afghanistan: the war economy, the poppy/heroin economy, the aid agency economy, and the agricultural/transport economy, which is the only one that is long-term and legitimate. Only when the roads are rebuilt will Afghanistan be able to capitalize on its vital geostrategic location.

The United States has five political imperatives in its reconstruction plan: strengthening the central government's capacity to govern and provide public services; maintaining a visible role within Afghanistan; meeting the high expectations that the Afghan people have for both their government and the United States in reconstruction; ensuring an ethnic and regional balance is created and maintained; improving the standard of living substantially not just in the cities but also in the rural areas where 80 percent of the population lives.

Humanitarian Assistance

Providing humanitarian assistance will be important, especially during the winter months. The enormous number of returning refugees, over 2 million so far, make this aid even more essential. Packages for returning refugees include money for housing; so far 70,000 homes have been rebuilt. With winter approaching, the United States has been focusing on providing people with heat, which entails teaching people how to burn coal safely in their homes. Reconstruction of the national electrical system will have to be done by one of the international banks. The United States has also begun five large cash-for-work projects through major international non-governmental organizations. The projects are designed to provide people who cannot be fed by the World Food Program (which will feed about 1.2 million people this winter) with money to buy food. Food-for-work programs have created 1.7 million jobs; cash-for-work programs have created 1.3 million.

Creating a Market Economy

Restoring the private market economy will depend on the agricultural and transport sectors. Creating new jobs for the young male population of Afghanistan (between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five) is crucial to improving the security and stability of the country. The Afghan government is building a good policy framework for the private sector. In order to revive the agricultural sector, the canals and karezes, comparable to underground aqueducts, which comprise the irrigation network must be reconstructed. So far, 873 kilometers of canals have been rehabilitated, as well as 1789 karezes. Five hundred and sixty-four wells have been dug.

The United States is also running veterinary clinics to vaccinate livestock being brought into Afghanistan to reconstitute herds devastated by the drought. The United States has provided 7000 tons of drought-resistant wheat seed, which accounts for at least 12 percent of the 800,000 ton increase in wheat production this year. There has been a 600 percent increase in cotton production in poppy-growing areas; cotton is a legitimate cash crop that could be a viable replacement for narcotics. The United States has rebuilt five bridges and 857 kilometers of tertiary roads to help move the agricultural surpluses to market. To get ready for winter food transport needs, the United States and Russia are rebuilding the Salang Tunnel and some of the surrounding roads in order to reopen the main north-south transport route. The Kabul-Kandahar road project will also help improve commerce and tie the country together politically.

At the moment legal reform is focusing on increasing the capacity of economic governance, which will provide a legal framework to help private-sector recovery. The diaspora population could play a key role in the economy in the future.

The debt burden facing the people of Afghanistan is enormous. During the five-year drought, many people were forced to borrow large sums of money from local lenders in order to feed their families. The debt burden will need to be addressed in order to stimulate a market economy.

Reconstituting the Afghan Government

Supporting the reconstitution and capacity of the Afghan national government through the development of visible infrastructure projects and the reestablishment of public services is also important. As much as possible, the United States has been working through the agencies of the central government to provide services. Several hundred schools and health clinics have been rebuilt, and the United States has provided assistance to the Ministry of Water and Power to reestablish the water supply for 25 percent of Kabul and 700,000 people in Konduz and Kandahar. The United States has spent $30 million on health services. Sixty-eight clinics have been rebuilt and provided with pharmaceuticals and training. A training program for midwives has just begun; 700,000 cases of malaria have been treated, and 4.25 million children have been vaccinated against measles.

The United States printed 10.6 million textbooks in both Dari and Pashtu, which failed to meet the extraordinary demand of the children under the third-grade level returning to the schools. The desire to have children back in school is demonstrative of the value system of the Afghan people; it also reinforces attempts to reestablish security in the country. The schools are also important because two-thirds of the pre-Taliban teachers were women, and promoting women teachers will help to reestablish women in positions of influence in society. The United States has trained 1500 teachers, who will in turn train 30,000 more in the villages (teacher training kits have been provided for this purpose). Fifty thousand teachers are currently given a monthly food-for-work ration so that they can devote their efforts to teaching and not finding food for their families. While the United States has focused on primary education, other countries and agencies are focusing on secondary and higher education.

Skilled women are also being recruited for positions in the ministries, and kindergartens are provided near government offices for their children. Small grants are being given to women to help them set up businesses, including a women's newspaper.

The United States and Japan have been working to reconstruct the communications system in Afghanistan. Radio Afghanistan now reaches the whole country (the proceedings of the loya jirga were broadcast nationwide), and several hundred reporters have been trained. Following the American model, President Hamid Karzai has begun to deliver a weekly radio address on Saturdays. The United States is working with the government to liberalize media laws and introduce private television and radio broadcasting.

The United States would not object to ISAF being extended beyond Kabul in order to promote law and order, but other nations would have to provide the manpower and funding. Currently, America is focusing on regions where security is a serious concern. There are dramatic regional differences in security, public services, and reconstruction. The west and northeast regions are in the best shape. As the central government delivers more services, the attraction of the warlords will diminish.

The Afghan people are tired of instability and unrelenting war and are ready for a serious reconstruction effort that will make use of their talents and culture. The United States must remain invested in the region long-term in order to see these goals achieved.

AEI research assistant Molly McKew prepared this summary.