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Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Does anyone try to follow corruption levels as an indicator of instability?

The less certain the future, the more likely people are to grab the money now. Right?

By
Baksheesh_Egypt
Baksheesh_Egypt

 

 

The less certain the future, the more likely people are to grab the money now. Right? So should we track corruption in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq as an indicator of political instability?

That said, not everything we call corruption is wrong. For example, the cop accepting a little baksheesh may be repaying the guy who sold him the job. And the provincial governor who appoints his son police chief in a town may be sending the only guy he trusts with the job.

Anybody read anything on this subject?

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tag: Military

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