Most papers report that $87 billion in aid will be going to the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan with much attention on how that money will be spent in Iraq. But did you notice how much of that money is going to Afghanistan?
The answer: $1.2 billion.
Both countries have comparable populations (about 29 million in Afghanistan and 24 million in Iraq). Although the war technically ended in December 2001, Afghanistan is no where near getting back on its feet. An article from Roll Call (requires a subscription) included comments from Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) on his trip to Afghanistan about two weeks ago. He described the situation as "chaotic."
"Our embassy there is ringed with barbed wire and barriers," he said. "That pretty much says it all."
And that's in Kabul, the city with the most peacekeeping troops in the country. Taliban attacks continue especially in southern Afghanistan. Only last week the UN Security Council vote to expand NATO troops beyond Kabul. The Washington Post has a series of videos that give you an idea of what the country looks like now.
What's distressing is that this same neglect led to the rise of the Taliban about five years ago. Though Afghanistan is extremely poor and undeveloped (about 80% of its labor force is in agriculture), the country posed just as great a threat to US security as Iraq.
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