1. EachPod

The Business of Betrayal

Author
Kabul Institute
Published
Tue 09 Sep 2025
Episode Link
https://kabulinstitute.substack.com/p/the-business-of-betrayal

Every dollar that entered Afghanistan in the name of rebuilding also bought something else: a little more silence, a little more corruption, and a little more betrayal.

For two decades, Afghanistan wasn’t just a war. It was a business. Billions flowed into the country, not to build a nation, but to feed an industry of contractors, consultants, politicians, and middlemen. And while the world believed the fiction of progress, Afghans lived the reality of collapse in slow motion.

In this episode of Beyond the Frontline, you will hear how Afghan leaders sold the nation’s future piece by piece, how ghost soldiers and hollow ministries became the norm, and how the international community turned a blind eye while billions vanished into luxury and offshore accounts. You’ll hear stories of ordinary Afghans caught in the middle: teachers, soldiers, and families who believed in the promise of a republic and paid the price for its betrayal.

This is the story of the business of betrayal, the collapse that was decades in the making, the corruption that was systematic, and the truths that no one else dared to tell.

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