Putting the 'I' in Aid

Peter Bergen and Sameer Lalwani write an opinion column for the New York Times, and recently they co wrote an article titled “Putting the ‘I’ in Aid”. This article addresses how even though a lot of financial and physical aid in Afghanistan, they are no further along to being self-sustained now then they were when they were liberated eight years ago. This article is addressed to the American public in general and it is mostly a plea for a more sane approach to how to handle Afghanistan. Currently we are over helping, by providing both financial and physical help at the same time. Now what on the surface appears to be a great and generous thing, actually cancels each other out. This happens by the simple fact that everyone needs to get paid. So first financial support arrives and then the skilled workers sent over there to rebuild their roads, buildings and way of life all need to get paid. So after this happens the money then comes full circle right back to those that had given it in the first place. Normally this would not be an issue because of that relief nearly one to two billion dollars goes to tax but in this case it usually travels back to those countries of those providing relief so then leaves those who need it once again. Both the authors bring up the great point that over helping is just as bad as not as helping at all. I completely agree with this article and by easily switching the taxes from being paid to their native governments it should be paid to the government of Afghanistan. This would both allow those laborers doing the work to get paid, and Afghanistan the government in need would get that much needed help, in an everyone wins situation. These writers should be considered credible because Peter Bergen is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Sameer Lalwani is a research fellow there.