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Article: Bribes are Afghan way of life; Karzai's promise seen as 'tall order'; Country is awash in drug money.(News)
- Article from:
- The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)
- Article date:
- November 4, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Seattle Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Robert H. Reid and Kathy Gannon; The Associated Press
KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai promised to stamp out corruption. The image suggested otherwise. Standing at Karzai's side on Tuesday were his two vice presidents -- both former warlords widely believed to have looted Afghanistan for years.
Reform is a tall order in a country awash in drug money. Afghans pay bribes for everything from driver's licenses to police protection, and the elite all too often treat state property as their own.
"Right now 85 percent of the government is corrupt," said Ahmed Shah Lumar, a businessman in the southern city of Kandahar. He said bribery, extortion ...