The first rule to follow upon finding yourself in a hole is to stop digging.
This quote is variously attributed to Will Rogers and/or Denis Healey.
We build infrastructure projects in Afghanistan - roads, canals, schools - and the locals don't maintain them. That is the essence of this Washington Post story. My question is why someone thought this was news?
If these projects were things the Afghans wanted or valued, they would have built them without our help. The deterioration is proof that we've been giving them things they don't especially want or care about.
If Afghans don't take care of projects, we should stop providing them. That much seems obvious.
