Corruption in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: Impacts and Prospect

Abstract

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has been plagued by corruption for years. Corruption is rampant in all fields in general and in financial, political, and administrative sectors in particular. Owing to a very weak political determination to fight corruption in the government, instability, and weak institutions, a tradition of impunity and mismanagement for international aid, Afghanistan failed to make substantial progress against corruption in the past two decades. Corruption has made a big impact on domestic affairs of Afghanistan, as it has impeded the economic reconstruction, undermined the political development and exacerbating insecurity. At the same time, corruption has increased economic burden of major international donors while offered an advantage for outsiders to exert political influence on Afghanistan in the name of anti-corruption. Spillover and proliferation of corruption have affected the situation in neighboring countries and the region as well. The Ashraf Ghani administration has adopted a series of anti-corruption measures, such as improving the rule of law, establishing new anti-corruption body and establishing a National Procurement Authority (NPA). International organizations have provided support and technical assistance in this aspect, such as organizing anti-corruption meetings and encouraging radio programs for this end. Despite some progress in this regard, corruption in Afghanistan remains a very severe challenge.