With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

7 insane problems outlined in the new Afghan reconstruction report

No one can accuse the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as SIGAR, of sugarcoating the truth.

The investigating body published its quarterly report for Congress Wednesday, looking at a variety of United States-funded programs and projects, and this line just about sums it up: “poor planning, shoddy construction, mechanical failures, and inadequate oversight.”

Afghanistan is the biggest reconstruction project the US has ever undertaken, consuming more than $104 billion so far.

“Adjusted for inflation, US appropriations for the reconstruction of Afghanistan exceed the funds committed to the Marshall Plan, the US aid program that delivered billions of dollars between 1948 and 1952 to help 16 European countries recover in the aftermath of World War II.”

Has it been worth it? Judge for yourself.

Read entire article at Global Post