Corruption Combating Corruption

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to be sworn into office for a second term in a country whose destiny is open to all possibilities, amid a Western confusion that is reflected in contradictory choices, the sweetest of which is better, and amid a clear American and Atlantic desire to quickly get rid of this burden imposed by the wrong miscalculations of the previous US Administration and the world, through gradually transferring the authorities to the Afghans. But regrettably, all what the Westerners find in front of them is a president whose election's integrity is questioned, and who is accused of corruption and nepotism. At the same time, they ask him to put forth a program to combat corruption. What is ironic is that the administration of President Ahmadinejad - whose election's integrity is also questioned – suggested participating in a "regional approach" to find a solution to this neighboring country, as though it has lessons to give in consolidating political and social stability.

Though Tehran has interests in Afghanistan due to factors of neighborhood, broad border, historical relations, and the confessional and language bonds with some of the social groups [in Afghanistan] – and even the negative repercussions of the problem of opium cultivation (one million Iranian addicts at least) – Iran most likely views the "Afghan outlet" as a chance to alleviate its growing crises. These crises are primarily at home, where charges of forgery and suspension of the opposition are still leveled continually and the division is still deep, and secondly with the West over [Iran's] nuclear program, as the option of expanding the sanctions strongly looms on the horizons and is being more internationally acceptable. Iran also wants to end its weak position regarding the Yemeni dossier, after it was surprised with the firmness of the Saudi decision and its swift implementation, and after the Arab States – including Iran's main ally Syria –unanimously expressed solidarity with the kingdom in defense of its territory and border in the face of the "Houthi Brigades" which reminds of [the Iranian] "Al-Quds Brigades."

Two days ago, a London-based newspaper revealed a booklet issued by the British Defense Ministry urging the military leaders to "bribe" the Afghans to make them abstain from joining the Taliban Movement which pays ten dollars per day for its new recruited members. The booklet says that "the best weapon to face the insurgents is not by opening fire, but by rather using bags of gold to alter the security situation."

This is the same method used by Ahmadinejad, but with his people. He chose a unique solution to combat poverty in the twenty first century through distributing money in a direct manner to his citizens in the rural areas, which is akin to buying votes. This has led to an increase in inflation rates as a result of excess liquidity which lost its actual value.

The Americans were victims of the biggest fraud operation throughout history – and this is not about Madoff the thief – but the financial companies and the stock markets which were later revealed to have made fake profits, the trillions of which evaporated in the air quickly. They too, opted to "buy" the allegiance of the Afghans through implementing the example of the Iraqi "Awakening" [councils].

The current debate in the United States over "the price of building democracy" in Afghanistan reveals that every American soldier costs one million dollar per year if he stays alive, and that sending new reinforcements of 40,000 soldiers means adding 40 billion dollars to the budget allocated for the war there, at a time when many Americans object to the amounts of money that will be needed [for that war] especially in the event of ratifying the health care program proposed by the administration of President Obama.

If poverty in the opinion of 70 % of the Afghans is the reason behind the war in their country, then a simple calculation will reveal that the price paid by the Americans and Westerners in Afghanistan since 2001 would be enough to "bribe" all the Afghans and perhaps their neighbors as well.