Annually, foreign aid often circulates from developed nations to the developing countries with the objective of reducing poverty, reducing malnutrition, and increasing stability (Sexton, 2016). Foreign aid relates to the voluntary delegation of resources such as finances from one nation to another. Foreign aid programs are usually associated with certain advantageous attributes such as serving as a diplomatic approval or to reinforce a military confederate, to honor a government for a particular aspect that has been desired by the donor, to enhance the cultural effect of the donor, to provide infrastructure required by the donor for the extraction of resources from the recipient’s nation, or to achieve other forms of commercial access. Nations may offer aid for further diplomatic grounds such as altruistic and humanitarian reasons. In Afghanistan, there have been numerous conflicts which when combined, form a regional framework of inter-connected territories of instability, for instance, Ferghana Valley, Tajikistan, and Kashmir. The vertical connections within this volatile conflict framework comprise the global, local, national, and regional distribution of warfare in Afghanistan (Baker, 2011). For instance, the efforts by the British and United States to capture the Taliban and Al-Qaida forces’ remnants may be classified as localized conflicts. The paper will critically analyze the impacts of war and peace on foreign aid in Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan significantly affected the allocation of foreign aid in the nation in a couple of ways. First, foreign aid donors are usually sensitive to conflicts (Sexton, 2016). War in Afghanistan basically presented an unrelenting threat to its donors. The war affected the distribution of foreign aid from its potential donors especially the United States; this is was mainly as a result of the 9/11 terror attacks that subsequently fuelled the war between America and Afghanistan. The war also impeded the funding from other European organizations. Secondly, the existence of war in any nation violates the values and accountability principles set by the foreign aid donors; this consequently affects the distribution of foreign aid in a country, in this case, Afghanistan. The Afghanistan war displayed their inability to uphold the foreign aid policies thereby, affecting the distribution of foreign aid in the nation. Lastly, the wars in Afghanistan affected the effective management of the already initiated projects and the established programs by the donors; this presented a very complex situation forcing the withdrawal of foreign aid agencies and the halting of particular projects and this consequently affected the distribution of foreign aid. Peace, on the other hand, is generally characterized by positive impacts on the distribution of foreign aid. The availability of peace in Afghanistan presented a conducive environment for the distribution of foreign assistance; this is seen in the way the International community, led by the U.S has allocated more than $100 billion in assistance within the last decade to enhance the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the stabilization of its unbalanced economy (Goselbracht, 2014). Peace encouraged the political stability of the nation which in turn attracted the distribution of foreign assistance from various developed countries. Peace also facilitated the slight stabilization of Afghanistan’s economy which subsequently attracted foreign aid investment such as the establishment of NGO’s in the country.
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Through the development of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), the leadership of Afghanistan has made significant advancements in enhancing the development of the nation using the funds received from foreign assistance (Lynch, 2015). The ANDS developmental strategy is aimed at achieving specific goals such as the enhancement of security, the enhancement of good governance, economic and social development and the advancement of macroeconomic strategies. The Afghanistan government, through the establishment of the ANDS developmental strategy, has incorporated funds that have ensured the successful implementation of an apprehensive and integrated national policy approach, establishment of a robust security reform program, strengthening of the military and civil coordination and operations, and the enhancement the duty of security forces with regards to the nation’s security. Through the substantial amount of funds received from foreign assistance, the Afghanistan government has been able to administer good governance that seeks to protect the human rights of its citizens (Krinner et. al ., 2016). The Afghanistan leadership has been able to advance the basic levels of economic efficiencies, enhance the better allocation of resources, and enhance the generation of a significant value of government revenues. The transport systems, economic resources such as water, energy, and mining activities, technology, urban development, health and nutrition, education, rural and agricultural development, and social protection has been effectively enhanced under the current leadership of Afghanistan.
The foreign assistance received by the Afghanistan nation has helped in the alleviation of poverty in a number of ways. First, through technological advancements in the country, employment opportunities have been created especially for the skilled personnel. Business has also been enhanced and this has marked a successful attempt in poverty reduction. Secondly, urban development as a result of foreign assistance has encouraged the foreign investment strategies in the country; this significantly aids in the reduction of poverty. Thirdly, foreign assistance has helped improve the quality of education in the country. The availability and accessibility of education helps enhance the innovation strategies, especially among the young generation. The development of the health sector, the agricultural sector, and the economic sector such as mining has helped reduce the poverty levels at a significant rate. However, there are certain negative aspects that have been promoted through the distribution of foreign aid in Afghanistan. These negative aspects hinder the attempts of foreign aid donors in reducing poverty in Afghanistan. Some of these aspects include corruption and low-income rates. According to Transparency International, Afghanistan has been ranked third globally with regards to corruption. The increase in corruption in the country largely contributes to the existence of poverty in the nation. Although education has been made largely available and accessible in Afghanistan, its quality has not yet met the global standards. The country also offers low income to its employees, for instance, studies show that the teaching profession in Afghanistan is associated with low pay (Schiffman, 2012). In spite of the attempts to better the health sector, the indicators of health is still considered below average.
References
Baker, K. J. (2011). War in Afghanistan: A Short History of Eighty Wars and Conflicts in Afghanistan and the North-west Frontier 1839 - 2011. Dural Delivery Centre NSW: Rosenberg Publishing.
Geselbracht, R. H. (2014). Foreign Aid and the Legacy of Harry S. Truman . Kirksville, Missouri: Truman State University Press.
Lynch, T. F. (2015). After ISIS: Fully Reappraising U.S. Policy in Afghanistan. Washington Quarterly , 38(2), 119-144. doi:10.1080/0163660X.2015.1064714
Kriner, D., & Wilson, G. (2016). The elasticity of reality and British support for the war in Afghanistan. British Journal of Politics & International Relations , 18(3), 559-580. doi:10.1177/1369148116632181
Schiffman, H. F. (2012). Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors : The Changing Politics of Language Choice . Leiden: Brill NV.
Sexton, R. (2016). Aid as a Tool against Insurgency: Evidence from Contested and Controlled Territory in Afghanistan . American Political Science Review , 110(4), 731-749. doi:10.1017/S0003055416000356
