Perhaps, one of the most troubling effects of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is that both are plagued with humanitarian disasters. The leaders of these countries have chosen to enrich themselves, rather than to support social issues (i.e. jobs, infrastructure projects etc…).  We see this everyday in American in different forms where politicians are at the mercy of big businesses.  However, we can see how much power money has even when your country and your citizens are being horribly killed each day.  Telegraph UK, reported that corruption is on the rise in Afghanistan.  Tribal leaders and the police have been stealing international aid that is supposed to be directed to reconstruction efforts.  Up to one half of all aid earmarked for Afghanistan is being stolen by the police and tribal leaders. 

James Arbuthnot, chairman of the Commons Defense Select Committee in the U.K. had a weak statement in which he said that “corruption is something we will be examining.”  The issue of corruption has been a daily reason why Afghanistan looks no different than the day U.S. and international forces ran the Taliban out.  And as the U.S. and the European Union announced plans for an additional 1.5 Billion Euros to be spent on reconstruction projects, we can expect half of that money to be in the hands of corrupted offices and the Taliban. 

U.S. and European officials need to take a harder stance on millions of dollars that are being stolen.  Benchmarks need to be set into place and if those are not place, the withdrawal of economic support must be on the table as an option.