This week on Q&A, author Douglas Wissing discusses his latest narrative, “Funding the Enemy: How U.S. Taxpayers Bankroll the Taliban.” Mr. Wissing states in his book that for a variety of reasons, much of the taxpayer money the United States spends in Afghanistan is being diverted and used for funding the Taliban. Wissing describes his experiences obtained from being an embedded journalist with five different units of the National Guard, including the agricultural business development team and the provincial reconstruction team.
He describes the existing government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai as “wholly corrupt.” He offers examples of U.S. government spending projects which wind their way through a mostly corrupt bidding process by Afghan contractors. He asserts that money skimmed from bribes and drug trafficking is indirectly going to support the Taliban’s efforts against America in Afghanistan. He states that aid dollars from the United States are being distributed yet there is little effort to follow through and verify the intended results of that distribution. He concludes that it is time for the United States to end its military involvement in Afghanistan.
Douglas Wissing is an independent journalist and author. He studied history and political science at Indiana University and is the author of five other books including “Pioneer in Tibet: The Life and Perils of Dr. Albert Shelton.” (2004) He has contributed to the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Traveler, and NPR networks, among others.