Uncle Sam has spent more than $400 billion over 10 years to bring peace and democracy to a country that has historically had neither. More than 2,000 Americans have been killed and 16,000 have been wounded so far in Afghanistan. Sadly, the U.S. has had precious little to show for the return on its investment, either financial or human.
About 30% to 50% of the Afghan economy is based on the opium trade, so corruption is quite pervasive. A 2012 Atlantic article noted that "billions in U.S. aid funds have been misappropriated." The Times report notes that Iran has funneled money through Karzai's office as well, which raises the question of what the U.S. is getting for all its efforts.
Read more... at MSN Money.
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai is now "pizzed" off at how Obama has negotiated the opening of a Taliban office there and thus has suspended talks on a bilateral security agreement with the United States which would allow our troops to stay after 2014. Can you blame him?
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