Afghanistan crisis: What did billions in aid accomplish in 20 years?

For two decades, Afghanistan's economic development aid largely funded education, health, governance reforms and infrastructure - including schools, hospitals, roads and other construction projects.

The government of Afghanistan and that country’s economy relied heavily on foreign aid until the U.S. withdrawal. That support is on hold, although the United States and its allies have begun to take steps toward resuming some humanitarian assistance. Here, Mohammad Qadam Shah, an assistant professor of global development at Seattle Pacific University who conducted in-depth research regarding Afghanistan’s aid administration, answers five questions about the past, present and future of aid to his native country.
 

1. What did foreign economic aid accomplish in Afghanistan?

Some US$150 billion in nonmilitary U.S. aid