Sarah Chayes
{
"authors": [
"Sarah Chayes"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [
"Anti-Corruption"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "DCG",
"programs": [
"Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"South Asia",
"Afghanistan"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform",
"Democracy"
]
}Source: Getty
Sarah Chayes: “Thieves Of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security”
Corruption can plant the seeds of violent religious extremism, and it’s happening worldwide.
Source: NPR’s Diane Rehm Show
Sarah Chayes arrived in Afghanistan as a journalist. But the rampant corruption she encountered there drove her to stay for years afterward, fighting for change. Corruption touched every corner of daily life in the country; from crossing police checkpoints to paying utility bills, a bribe was required to accomplish almost anything. This was breeding deep anger and resentment in the Afghan people, Chayes discovered. And now the foreign policy expert has an urgent warning based on what she’s learned: Corruption can plant the seeds of violent religious extremism – and it’s happening worldwide.
This interview was originally broadcast on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show.
About the Author
Former Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Sarah Chayes is internationally recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its implications. Her work explores how severe corruption can help prompt such crises as terrorism, revolutions and their violent aftermaths, and environmental degradation.
- China Financial Markets testCommentary
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Vučić’s Downfall in Serbia Is Fatal to Russia’s Influence in the BalkansCommentary
The new Serbian leadership may have promised to keep on cooperating with Russia, but soon they will have to make a choice between fighting corruption and sealing lucrative deals with Moscow. The two are mutually exclusive, even if the new leaders in Belgrade haven’t yet realized it.
Maksim Samorukov
- How Did Serbia Remove Vučić Without a Single Smashed Window?Commentary
Serbia’s electoral earthquake is an extremely rare example of an entire political system being defeated by street protesters who played by the rules.
Alexander Baunov
- The Foundations of a Russian Dictatorship: The Kremlin’s New IdeologyPaper
The concept authored by Sergei Kiriyenko and his team can be considered not only an apologia for the Putin regime, but also a blueprint for Russia’s future configuration.
Andrey Pertsev
- Putin’s Post-Election Reshuffle Advances Russian State ErosionCommentary
The pressures of war are gradually warping Russia’s system of governance, making it more vulnerable to a future crisis.
Tatiana Stanovaya
- How the Latest Election Changed the Role of Russia’s ParliamentCommentary
Putin’s conservative staffing policies and search for ever greater control have cemented parliament’s transformation into a bureaucratic appendage of the executive branch.
Andrey Pertsev