Why after twenty years and two trillion dollars spent, is Afghanistan still the world’s sixth poorest country, reconstruction projects have failed to materialise, and the Taliban were able to take control of the entire country in just nine days? This podcast will approach this question from the point of view that the negative outcomes of the last twenty years of Afghan politics and US led policies stems from the formation of an Afghan kleptocracy and widespread political, cultural, and economic corruption. Furthermore, each episode will focus on a different political, cultural, or economic aspect that helped foster corruption and the ultimate failure of US driven policy.