DYNAMICS AND EVOLUTION OF HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT AID TO AFGHANISTAN

Date

2024-9

Author

Güreş, Gülşah

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This dissertation examines the dynamics and evolution of international humanitarian and development aid to Afghanistan, tracing its development from historical origins to the present day, with a focus on the post-9/11 period. Contrary to the liberal school of thought approaching aid from a donor-centric perspective with the assumption that donors are benevolent actors aiming to promote development and international cooperation through providing aid to recipient countries in need, this research argues that non-donor-centric realist school of thought treating aid as a political or strategic tool in the hands of not only aid-giving but also aid-receiving actors provides a more accurate explanation of the relationship between Afghanistan and the international aid community. This approach suggests that both aid-giving and aid-receiving countries perceive foreign aid as a political or strategic instrument and enter into aid relationship with a calculated pursuit of their national interests. This argument is supported by the historical trajectory of both aid provision and aid receipt in Afghanistan. While diverse donors have allocated aid driven by their own geopolitical interest, often overlooking Afghanistan’s absorptive capacity, socio-cultural context, domestic political dynamics, and long-term sustainability, Afghanistan has accepted this aid due to its own pursuit of national interest. Moreover, Afghanistan was well aware that Maussian reciprocity governs aid relationships, leaving either little or no room for altruism. The issue with Afghanistan’s aid-receiving practices is that the country often fails to fully assess the associated long-term risks or considers the possible negative consequences but prioritizes short-term benefits or allows self-interested political elites to focus on their own gains rather than those of the country or its people. This has resulted in Afghanistan becoming a fragile, aid-dependent rentier state, swinging from one local power broker to another and from one superpower’s influence to another, leaving the Afghan people trapped in a persistent cycle of crises and challenges.

Subject Keywords

Afghanistan, humanitarian aid, development aid, Taliban, 9/11, Afganistan, İnsani Yardım, Kalkınma Yardımı, Taliban, 9/11

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/110961

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis