Corruption and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan

After Somallia, Transparency International now ranks the government of Afghanistan as the most corrupt in the world. The latest evidence is the crisis involving Afghanistan's most important private financial institution. Friends and relatives of President Karzai borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars from Kabul Bank and invested in Dubai's risky real estate market. That revelation has caused a run on the Kabul Bank, which could pave the way to the country's financial collapse. As Karzai tries to limit investigations, will the corruption of his regime make the Taliban look good to ordinary Afghans? What would that mean for the counterinsurgency strategy of General Petraeus, which depends on a solid government supported by its own people?