Thieves of State

November 3, 2014
Chayes (Punishment of Virtue) argues here that corruption among foreign governments angers local populations and thereby undermines U.S. foreign policy. Framing the narrative using medieval and Renaissance texts from the genre known as “mirrors for princes,” written in Europe and the Middle East as advice to new rulers, Chayes draws from her own experiences as a reporter and aid worker in Afghanistan to show what happens when populations grow disappointed in their own governments. Most illuminating, however, are Chayes’s conversations with people living under corrupt regimes that range from Nigeria, which she says suffers from a “resource curse,” to Afghanistan and Syria. As she finds, problems often arise when proxies or intermediaries are able to interpose themselves between governments and the people they govern. As a result, dissent grows at the same time that politics is removed as a means of redress. Meanwhile, U.S. foreign policy, according to Chayes, tends to neglect the networks that foster corruption in favor of targeting individuals, or simply ignoring the issue altogether. Though she acknowledges homegrown American graft, she draws too little distinction between the corruption that greases wheels (such as congressional bills full of pork) and the corruption that actually disrupts progress. Nonetheless, scholars and CNN junkies alike should be intrigued by the issues Chayes brings up and impressed with the solutions she suggests.

November 1, 2014
Former NPR reporter and current Carnegie Foundation associate Chayes (The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban, 2006) offers an alarming account of the role played by acute government corruption in fostering violent extremism.The systemic corruption in Afghanistan will hardly surprise informed readers, but its extent and enormous adverse impact on American efforts there (and in other failed states) are "remarkably underappreciated." In her 10 years as a reporter and entrepreneur in Afghanistan, the author found that the government existed only to enrich the ruling elite. Within the carefully structured kleptocracy, money flowed upward via gifts, kickbacks and the purchase of positions. In return, those making payments were granted protection or permission to extract resources. Drawing on her intimate knowledge of Afghan life, Chayes argues convincingly that resentment over flagrant corruption drove many citizens to turn against the government and join the insurgency. At the same time, while pursuing flailing efforts to stem corruption (Chayes was an adviser on the issue), the U.S. passed millions of dollars to President Hamid Karzai (through the CIA), thereby enabling Afghanistan's kleptocracy. The author meanders considerably between her insightful observations as a reporter, as an NGO leader dedicated to rebuilding Afghanistan and as a participant in fruitless U.S. efforts to halt government corruption. Chayes weaves in many relevant quotations from Machiavelli, Erasmus and other Renaissance "mirror writers" who advised rulers to listen to their subjects and avoid acute public corruption that could destabilize the realm. She also shows how loss of confidence in corrupt rulers prompted the Arab Spring and revolts elsewhere. Much of her material is telling, but many readers will be annoyed by Chayes' tendency to jump around between countries and between events of the past and present. The author suggests remedies for dealing with acute corruption, noting that the political courage to act is often lacking. Scattershot but often insightful, disquieting reading for policymakers.

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Starred review from January 1, 2015
Government corruption in the world's hot spots is often ignored at the expense of any real chance for peace, argues Chayes, former NPR correspondent and former advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Drawing on her experiences, Chayes asserts that kleptocratic governanceacute and systemic public corruption is provoking insurgency in many parts of the world. She explores the day-to-day frustrations of citizens in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Egypt, and other nations, who can't get basic things done without paying bribes to government officials. Frustration often breeds insurgency as citizens see the Taliban or Boko Haram as agents to address the need for change. Chayes parallels current geopolitics with ancient practices and the philosophers who railed against corruption, including Machiavelli, John Locke, and Islamic statesman Nizam al-Mulk. She criticizes diplomats, reporters, NGO workersherself includedfor failing to expand their contacts beyond the usual sources to get a broader sense of public concerns over massive crimes committed under the imprimatur of government. From ancient tales of avaricious rulers to modern headlines of greedy politicians, Chayes offers insightful analysis of how government corruption invites instability and insurgency and why we will never see peace in some of the world's hot spots until we address that corruption.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)