The G-Men in Kabul: The FBI Combating Public Corruption in Afghanistan

Book excerpt: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Afghanistan is using an innovative approach to battle public corruption. The FBI is utilizing an advance investigative tool: The Enterprise theory of Investigation (ETI). This holistic and flexible approach to conducting complex investigations allows the investigator, within the parameters of specific laws, to creatively investigate, disrupt, and eventually dismantle intricate criminal organizations. ETI as applied by the FBI in a task force setting in Afghanistan is the most effective way to combat high-level public corruption afflicting this troubled nation. This paper will examine the U.S. current anti-corruption policy in Afghanistan and the state of corruption in Afghanistan, and will illustrate the depth of the problem facing the U.S. and what is being done to address it. The reader will be introduced to the role the FBI plays in combating public corruption in Afghanistan using the ETI as the operational art foundation for its work. Finally, a detailed discussion of the FBI led Major Crimes Task Force-Afghanistan (MCTF-A), its structure, training, and cases, will support the thesis that the ETI based investigations conducted by the MCTF-A are the best way to attack public corruption.