Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/16/aid-cuts-by-us-others-could-imperil-afghanistan-govt-watchdog
The World Bank recently released information that conveys that international aid to Afghanistan has decreased drastically. In 2011 the Afghanistan government received $6.7bn in international aid, compared to $4.2bn it received in 2019, a $2.5bn decrease.
The large decrease in aid is the result of the U.S. and other donors attempting to take steps that decreases their involvement in the region. However, specialist have expressed concerns that the decrease in funds, which makes up 80% of the Afghan government’s budget, my cause the country to collapse and reflect chaos similar to what it experienced in the 1990s.
Currently the U.S., Russia, and other regional and global powers are attempting to revive the stalled Afghanistan peace talks. Additionally, the U.S. is facing a May 1 deadline to withdraw its remaining troops from the country, an agreement from the deal the past administration brokered with Taliban leaders.
Representatives involved in the Afghanistan reconstruction have expressed that further cuts in funding will cause the Afghan government to fall very quickly. The article alluded to events in the 1980s, when the Soviet Union withdrew their government assistance, which paved a path for the Taliban’s rise and takeover. As the international involvement in Afghanistan begins to shift for the first time in nearly two decades, many are concerned that the Taliban may gain complete control again.
The U.S. has pledged to provide 600m in aid to Afghanistan for a year, however, half of the funding is contingent on the successful progress of peace talks between the Taliban and a delegation of government officials. Without funding the Afghan government will not be able to successfully fight against the Taliban, therefore they need both the aid and the success of the peace deal.
However, the World Bank claims that even with the success of the peace pact, the country requires $5.2bn in civilian aid through 2024 to sustain peace. The Afghanistan economy, already weak, has been deteriorated by the pandemic. Without infrastructure development and programs to boost the economy, the country is far away from achieving long-term peace and stability. The involvement of NGOs and global actors to help develop the economy in Afghanistan would allow the government to no longer be dependent on international aid.