Extortion on a grand scale

The Mafia can only dream of such numbers...

Where to start... Where to start...

Ok. As we all know, we pay private security firms in our current wars to help get shit done without having our enlisted men do it all. How this is cheaper than doing it ourselves isn't really clear, but apparently, this is the only way we can get our wars done. Whatever.

So far, so good.

In Afghanistan, the US and other forces decided that since we're pumping countless tons of cold hard cash into private hands to help run this public war, we should spend a little of that money to Afghan contractors. For example, one of our trucking contracts makes up:
5% OF AFGHANISTAN'S GDP!

So far, so good. Kinda wise even. Since we're throwing away bills by the ton, why not put some of it towards keeping our bored enemies busy. Too busy working to join your little jihad.

Problem is, there aren't enough Afghans in the country to actually do the kind of security work that is needed to truck shit around their country. Even without a war going on, the [lack of] roads and mountains make trucking in this area difficult at best.

So far, getting a bit murky.

In order to get the trucking done that they need to, they take a pallet or two of the tons of cash we gave them and spend it on protection money from local warlords. Its generally a pay per truck sliding fee scale thing.

So far, ... Wait. Aren't these the same local warlords that make up and support the Taliban?

Yes. A large portion of the money we pay to Afghans to haul our shit around their country goes straight into the hands of the Taliban. In fact, it is believed that this makes up a significant portion of the Taliban's war budget.

Take a minute. Let that soak in...

We invade a country, then give it the money needed to fight back. This is worse than paying them to not shoot at us as we did in Iraq. I mean come on... Didn't we already learn all this a few decades ago as the Fed brought the Mafia down to a tolerable level of power? Paying someone to not attack you only gives them more money and power to demand that you pay them more next time!

I don't even want to spend much time thinking that while we are assisting in paying the Afghans not to attack other Afghans that there is that much more money around to attack Americans instead.

Without us, they couldn't afford to fight us.

THIS is whyipaytaxes.

read more: Private contracts drive Afghan economy (marketplace)