How Not To Build a Road in Afghanistan

Remember those generous and sensible promises to rebuild Afghanistan, so that it would not become, after the dismissal of the Taliban, a black hole of chaos and violence? The Washington Post reports that a marquee aid project has collapsed because the Asian Development Bank, which pledged to reconstruct the cratered road from Kabul to Kandahar, wound up offering loans to the Afghan government, not grants. The impoverished government refused, noting that it is in no position to assume $100 million in debt for the project.