RASC News Agency: John Sopko, former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), asserted in an exclusive interview that systemic corruption within the former Afghanistani government, coupled with critical misjudgments by Western powers, directly facilitated the Taliban’s return to power. Drawing on his 12 years of experience in Afghanistan, Sopko described the U.S. withdrawal as a moment of profound humiliation, not only for himself but for many Americans. He argued that Western policies particularly those pursued by the United States did not resolve Afghanistan’s crises but instead exacerbated them.
Sopko further noted that Afghanistan has become a diminished priority for the current U.S. administration, leading to a sharp reduction in humanitarian aid for impoverished Afghanistani civilians. He emphasized that while the U.S. initially intervened in Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11 to seek retribution against those responsible, its objectives gradually shifted. However, instead of tailoring its strategy to Afghanistan’s complex realities, Washington embarked on an ill-conceived attempt to reshape the country into a “miniature Norway.”
He also highlighted a stark contrast between past and present U.S. approaches to Taliban rule. While previous administrations engaged in agreements that indirectly facilitated humanitarian assistance, the current U.S. government has largely halted such aid, fearing it could be funneled to the Taliban. In analyzing the broader causes of America’s failure in Afghanistan, Sopko identified three primary factors: a fundamental lack of understanding of the country’s sociopolitical landscape, pervasive corruption within the Afghanistani government, and U.S. support for individuals complicit in human rights violations.
He condemned Washington’s backing of corrupt figures within Afghanistan’s police and military forces, arguing that such alliances eroded public trust in the central government. “Every time U.S. forces killed an Afghanistani civilian, rather than restoring stability, they inadvertently created three or four new insurgents,” Sopko remarked. The former U.S. official also underscored the endemic corruption that plagued the previous Afghanistani administration, stating that it fueled widespread public disillusionment and intensified social unrest. He concluded that both U.S. miscalculations and the failures of the former Afghanistani government were instrumental in enabling the Taliban’s resurgence.
Sopko further contended that Washington’s missteps stemmed from a profound misreading of Afghanistan’s political dynamics. He criticized U.S. policymakers for reinstating marginalized figures into key leadership positions and pointed to the unchecked influx of vast financial resources into the Afghanistani system an issue that remained unaddressed for two decades, ultimately contributing to the collapse of the state.
