The international community has agreed to continue its support for Afghanistan, committing at a conference on July 8 in Tokyo to provide $16 billion in aid to the embattled government. But donors have adopted a new mindset, demanding that the money be well spent and promising the government in Kabul — and taxpayers back home — that they will keep a close eye on the results.
Given the scale of corruption in Afghanistan, that will be a challenge, but donors must remember that the realization of their grand ambitions — the creation of a stable and effective Afghan state without the permanent presence of foreign troops — demands real progress.
Afghanistan is a ward of the international community. Not only are more than 100,000 troops from North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries currently stationed in the country, but financial solvency is dependent on foreign assistance.