The road not taken: addressing corruption during stability operations

Download
Author
Revell, Brian
Nemeth, Ryan-Ross
Date
2015-06Advisor
Gregg, Heather S.
Second Reader
Lober, George
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The United States has spent the last 14 years engaging in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that have aimed, in part, to rebuild two dysfunctional states. However, after billions of dollars in development money, thousands of soldiers’ lives lost, and over a decade of time, neither of these countries has achieved the desired degree of stability; both states remain fragile and sources of regional and global insecurity. This thesis investigates the role that corruption has played in undermining efforts to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan by conducting a longitudinal study that begins with the earliest days of state formation, and concludes with U.S.-led stabilization efforts post-September 11th. This thesis finds that, of the four types of corruption studied (crisis, nepotism, market, and patronage), market corruption is stabilizing in the near-term but becomes destabilizing over time; patronage and nepotism can be stabilizing in the short- and medium-terms, but ultimately create the potential for long-term destabilization; and crisis corruption is the most destabilizing form of corruption and rarely produces stability. These findings provide the U.S. government and U.S. military with an evaluative tool for considering different forms of corruption and their effects on stabilization operations in the modern world.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Status of US/ISAF Strategic Communications Efforts in Afghanistan
Cohn, Michael (Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)Program for Culture and Conflict Studies, 2009-11-01);"The summary outlined below is an initial attempt at such an investigation. Following numerous interviews and discussions with Strategic Communication (SC) and IO officials, professionals and scholars, including senior ... -
Corruption in the Balkans: an examination of the ties between government and crime in several Southeast European countries
Heskett, Jonathan D. (Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2013-12);The problem of corruption in civil administration has been around for as long as individuals have held public office. The Balkans has proved to be no exception. As early as the 16th century, corruption began to be tolerated ... -
Corruption, governance, investment and growth in emerging markets
Everhart, Stephen S.; Martinez-Vazquez, Jorge; McNab, Robert M. (Taylor & Francis, 2009);The article investigates the potential impact of corruption on economic growth by examining the effect that corruption may have on several significant determinants of economic growth, namely, investment in human, private ...