Corruption in the Afghanistan government is a well-worn topic, and Afghan subcontractors were singled out by a House subcommittee recently for extortion and corruption.
But according to a New York Times article published this week, U.S. contractors deserve a share of the blame as well. The story says Afghan companies are accusing American contractors of not paying them for supplies and services, and leaving the country with unpaid bills of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
An unnamed military official with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan told the Times that “American contractors are contributing to fueling the insurgency.” Strong words.
Just add this to the list of problems with contracting in the war zones.
2 Comments
The July 7 New York Times story on Afghan companies that claim U.S contractors have not paid them leapt to the cynical conclusion that this fuels the insurgency while glossing over key aspects of doing business in war torn Afghanistan. The entire story was based on the speculation of one unnamed ISAF official of unspecified occupation or rank. It lacked any insight into whether the subcontractors performed to the level of quality required by the contract or whether their costs were consistent and appropriate under U.S. acquisition rules to which the prime contractors are held accountable. Of course people who have not been paid will complain. It was the Times’ job to dig deeper before leaping to such a callow conclusion.
Many factors, including the lack of the rule of law, corruption in the government, religious intolerance, the effort to educate women, and generations of tribal enmity, fuel the insurgency. Certainly a failure to pay “hundreds of Afghan workers” could lead some of those to seek another, less friendly, employer. But the Times’ lack of reportorial due diligence on issues of this complexity leads only to shallow, cynical conclusions that do little to illuminate the genuine causes of instability in Afghanistan.
Lawrence Halloran
Professional Services Council
The July 7 New York Times story on Afghan companies that claim U.S contractors have not paid them leapt to the cynical conclusion that this fuels the insurgency while glossing over key aspects of doing business in war torn Afghanistan. The entire story was based on the speculation of one unnamed ISAF official of unspecified occupation or rank. It lacked any insight into whether the subcontractors performed to the level of quality required by the contract or whether their costs were consistent and appropriate under U.S. acquisition rules to which the prime contractors are held accountable. Of course people who have not been paid will complain. It was the Times’ job to dig deeper before leaping to such a callow conclusion.
Many factors, including the lack of the rule of law, corruption in the government, religious intolerance, the effort to educate women, and generations of tribal enmity, fuel the insurgency. Certainly a failure to pay “hundreds of Afghan workers” could lead some of those to seek another, less friendly, employer. But the Times’ lack of reportorial due diligence on issues of this complexity leads only to shallow, cynical conclusions that do little to illuminate the genuine causes of instability in Afghanistan.
Lawrence J. Halloran
Professional Services Council