Corruption, Patronage & Clientelism in Afghanistan

The failure of the international intervention in Afghanistan (2001–2021) is repeatedly attributed to the fact that corruption, clientelism and patronage (CCP) permeate Afghan politics and society, rendering external state-building efforts futile. In a study for the Enquete Commission ´Lessons from Afghanistan for Germany’s Future Networked Engagement´, bicc analysed the role of CCP in the German mission for the first time. 

The study found that the international community—above all the United States—used and reinforced the patronage and clientelist structures for its own interests from the very beginning. Germany also followed this path by consciously relying on certain patronage networks. This created a path dependency that was difficult to break. The picture is different when it comes to corruption. Although so-called petty corruption was omnipresent in everyday life during reconstruction, the financial damage it caused was marginal. Far more problematic were the large trust funds, which were repeatedly hit by multi-million dollar corruption scandals and from which members of the country’s elite enriched themselves. Overall, however, it was not corruption but poor planning and wasteful procurement that were primarily responsible for the mismanagement of Afghanistan’s reconstruction. The study shows that, in international interventions, the way corruption, clientelism and patronage (CCP) is handled has a significant impact on mission outcomes: It can not only result in financial losses but also in the failure of state-building and good governance. The lesson from Afghanistan is therefore that CCP must be avoided and tackled resolutely from the very first decisions in any intervention. It is also essential that all external actors involved commit to a common code of conduct in dealing with CCP.