Afghanistan at critical economic, political crossroads

London

FIFTEEN years after the post-9/11 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the country stands at critical economic and political crossroads. While fragile gains have been made since the fall of the Taliban regime, the nation faces a daunting array of risks and challenges, despite the fact that over £100 billion (S$169 billion) has been spent by Washington alone in the country since 2001.

Despite the massive amount of overseas money committed to the country, including a fresh US$15.2 billion in foreign aid pledged last month by the international community for the next four years, reconstruction has been slow, and unemployment remains above 40 per cent. In part, this is because the roughly US$110 billion Washington has spent on Afghanistan since 2001 - more than …