$56 Billion to Rebuild Afghanistan (So Far): The Whole Kit & Kabul-Dole

By Mark Thompson | @MarkThompson_DC | July 22, 2011 | +

Remember how you doled out allowances to your kids, trying to teach them the value of a quarter before moving on to a dollar? (OK — I was cheap.) Check out this chart from a Thursday report from the Government Accountability Office: direct payments to Afghanistan from Washington more than tripled between 2009 and 2010 with accountability too often MIA.

Notes the report:

Decades of conflict have left Afghanistan a poor nation with high illiteracy, weak government institutions, and a high level of corruption. According to Transparency International’s index of perceived corruption, Afghanistan is tied with Burma as the world’s second most corrupt nation.

But it’s only $2 billion, you say. Take a deep breath:

…the report adds that the total amount the U.S. has spent rebuilding Afghanistan since 9/11 is $56 billion. Nearly half of those funds — $27 billion — were allocated in 2009 and 2010.

@TIME

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