The Status of Afghanistan

The Status of Afghanistan
October 6, 2005

Today President Bush will give a significant speech on the war on terrorism with "unprecedented detail" on the nature of the enemy, the U.S. strategy for defeating this enemy, the status of al Qaeda and associates, and Iraq in the broader war on terrorism. Bush has referred to the invasion of Afghanistan as one of the "great turning points in the story of freedom." He now needs to use today's speech to outline the short- and long-term strategies of the United States in Afghanistan and explain why so little progress has been made in the areas of security, drug production, governance, and reconstruction. For $1 billion spent in Afghanistan each month, Americans deserve answers.

• A growing insurgency is causing the security situation in Afghanistan to deteriorate. With 2005 marking the highest death toll rate since the invasion and increased insurgent activities, the likelihood of Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists is growing. The deteriorating security situation could also force the United States to concentrate more resources to the area, a situation that our already depleted armed forces can ill afford. All this at a price tag of $1 billion a month. Even more dire is the persistent corruption in the Afghan police force and a military a long way from being able to fight without American assistance.
  
  
• America is losing the war on drugs in Afghanistan. In 2001, Afghanistan supplied 12 percent of the world’s opium. In 2004, the country supplied 87 percent. Afghanistan now receives more money from the drug trade than from foreign aid; however, unlike foreign aid, the money is never invested in the Afghan population.
  
  
• Lacking a comprehensive plan, the reconstruction of Afghanistan has been slow and insufficient. Afghanistan has made little progress in some of the most vital areas of critical infrastructure and development. Afghanistan has approximately one health facility per 27,000 people. Only 6 percent of Afghanistan’s population has access to electricity and 14 percent of women are literate. There has been widespread voter fraud in recent elections. This is a far cry from the Bush administration’s claim that “Freedom is on the march.”