CORRUPTION IN CONFLICT

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Because SIGAR is the only inspector general with the authority to look across the entire reconstruction effort, it is uniquely positioned to identify and address whole-of-government lessons learned. As Corruption in Conflict has done, future lessons learned reports will synthesize not only the body of work and expertise of SIGAR, but also that of other oversight agencies, government bodies, current and former officials with on-the-ground experience, academic institutions, and independent scholars. Future reports will focus on other key aspects of the reconstruction effort and will document what the U.S. government sought to accomplish, assess what it achieved, and evaluate the degree to which these efforts helped the United States reach its strategic goals in Afghanistan. The reports will contain recommendations to address the challenges stakeholders face in ensuring efficient, effective, and sustainable reconstruction efforts, not just in Afghanistan, but in future conflict zones. SIGAR’s lessons learned program comprises subject matter experts with considerable experience working and living in Afghanistan, aided by a team of experienced research analysts. In producing its reports, SIGAR also uses the significant skills and experience found in its Audits, Investigations, and Research and Analysis Directorates, and the Office of Special Projects. I want to express my deepest appreciation to the research team that produced this report, and thank them for their dedication and commitment to this project. I also want to thank all of the individuals—especially the agency officials, academics, subject matter experts, and others—who provided their time and effort to contribute to this report. It is truly a collaborative effort meant to not only observe problems, but also to learn from them and apply reasonable solutions to improve future reconstruction efforts. I believe the lessons learned reports will be a key legacy of SIGAR. Through these reports, we hope to reach a diverse audience in the legislative and executive branches, at strategic and programmatic levels, both in Washington, D.C. and in the field. By leveraging our unique interagency mandate, we intend to do everything we can to make sure the lessons from the United States’ largest reconstruction effort are identified, acknowledged, and, most importantly, remembered and applied to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, as well as to future conflicts and reconstruction efforts elsewhere in the world. John F. Sopko Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction SIGAR I CORRUPTION IN CONFLICT I SEPTEMBER 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION 1 What Is Corruption? 2 Systemic Corruption, a Dilemma for Anticorruption Efforts 4 Measuring Corruption 5 Corruption Has Increased from Pre-2001 Levels 6 Why Should U.S. Policymakers Care About Corruption in a Conflict Environment? 10 Possible Reasons the U.S. Government Failed to See the Problem 12 A Framework for Anticorruption Efforts 13 PART ONE Failure to Fully Appreciate the Corruption Threat: 2001–2008 15 A Focus on Counterterrorism, Political Transition, and Reconstruction 16 Emerging But Insufficient Appreciation for the Corruption Threat 20 Limited U.S. Efforts to Address Corruption 23 Donors Begin to Consolidate Thinking on Anticorruption, But Still Face Obstacles 26 Summary: Obstacles to Advancing an Anticorruption Agenda 28 PART TWO A Call to Action: 2009–2010 31 A New Strategy and Reinvigorated Counterinsurgency Effort 32 Corruption Increasingly Seen as a Critical Threat 33 High-Water Mark for U.S. Anticorruption Efforts 39 The Salehi Arrest: A Major Setback 43 The Near-Collapse of Kabul Bank: Fraud on an Unprecedented Scale 44 Summary: Dilemmas for U.S. Anticorruption Efforts 45 i SIGAR I CORRUPTION IN CONFLICT I SEPTEMBER 2016
Page 1 and 2: Special Inspector General for Afgha
Page 3: Special Inspector General for Afgha
Page 7 and 8: ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURES FIGURE 1: Sha
Page 9 and 10: In the early years of the reconstru
Page 11: Recommendations To address corrupti
Page 14 and 15: 1. Corruption undermined the U.S. m
Page 16 and 17: large sums of money. For example, a
Page 18 and 19: Corruption Has Increased from Pre-2
Page 20 and 21: capacity, legislative and regulator
Page 22 and 23: dynamic we have to change if we wan
Page 24 and 25: in corruption. 58 Afghans also witn
Page 27 and 28: ISAF Public Affairs photo PART ONE
Page 29 and 30: checkpoints, activities which they
Page 31 and 32: usinesses that served the internati
Page 33 and 34: for the long-term threat that corru
Page 35 and 36: combat corruption globally, which i
Page 37 and 38: opium when they raided the governor
Page 39 and 40: measurable benchmarks and target da
Page 41: While certain individuals and offic
Page 44 and 45: that Afghan leaders were not commit
Page 46 and 47: U.S. government documents increasin
Page 48 and 49: the state’s legitimacy and capabi
Page 50 and 51: and helping to fund the enemy. The
Page 52 and 53: would benefit from an approved stra
Page 54 and 55:
fundamental flaw: The Afghan govern
Page 56 and 57:
By the time of Salehi’s arrest an
Page 59 and 60:
U.S. Marine Corps photo PART THREE
Page 61 and 62:
and partners, other countries in th
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BOX 2: ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY In the d
Page 65 and 66:
Capacity-building efforts would be
Page 67 and 68:
“The international community held
Page 69 and 70:
success, due in part to unwillingne
Page 71 and 72:
ability to conduct robust oversight
Page 73 and 74:
The story elicited a sharp congress
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London, Kabul, and Tokyo Conference
Page 77 and 78:
officials. The task force member no
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These cancelled or forestalled cont
Page 81:
a desire to tackle corruption and a
Page 84 and 85:
These findings underscore that the
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LESSONS USAID/Afghanistan photo Bas
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eport, international assistance acc
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in Afghanistan failed to address th
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This legislation should: • Requir
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Intelligence agencies should: • C
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10. The State Department should pla
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the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, which wa
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APPENDIX B ABBREVIATIONS 4A Assista
Page 104 and 105:
ODA OECD OEF OSD-P OTI PACC PRT PSC
Page 106 and 107:
APPENDIX D Strategy or Plan Assessm
Page 108 and 109:
Organization Lead Agency Mandate Hi
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APPENDIX F U.S. Support to Afghan G
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ENDNOTES 1 Ryan Crocker, SIGAR inte
Page 114 and 115:
34 OECD Development Assistance Coun
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65 Fishstein and Wilder, Winning He
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101 Joint Staff, Joint and Coalitio
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148 Dressler, Counterinsurgency in
Page 122 and 123:
192 NSC, White Paper on the Interag
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235 U.S. Embassy Kabul, “Afghanis
Page 126 and 127:
284 Department of the Treasury, “
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Transition to Transformation, July
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368 SIGAR, Quarterly Report to the
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411 Torabi, email to SIGAR, March 5
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463 Congressional Research Service,
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525 U.S. Embassy Kabul, U.S. Govern
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586 U.S. Embassy Kabul, “Update o
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633 DOD, Report on Progress toward
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SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY Afghan Research
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Century Foundation. Afghanistan: Ne
Page 146 and 147:
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Page 148 and 149:
Human Rights Watch. Blood-Stained H
Page 150 and 151:
Koumans, Mark. Testimony before the
Page 152 and 153:
Pritchett, Lant, Michael Woolcock,
Page 154 and 155:
Schmeidl, Susanne. “The Man Who W
Page 156 and 157:
Stanekzai, Mohammad M. “Afghanist
Page 158 and 159:
U.S. Department of State, Office of
Page 160 and 161:
United Nations Development Programm
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SIGAR acknowledges
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SIGAR SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR
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CORRUPTION IN CONFLICT

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