International support for a new trust fund aiming to compensate labor and training of former Afghan insurgents who have returned to government fold may well fizzle much like other pledges that politicians failed to deliver, a U.S. Army official wrote in a Washington Post commentary.

U.S. Army Col. Patrick T. Warren, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, cautioned that the Peace and Reintegration Fund may well dry up as politicians renege from their pledged cash support. Pledges to the fund have reached some USD140 million, still just 14 percent of an estimated USD1 billion requirement to continue the pay-for-work scheme for three years.

“Trust funds tend to be political substitute for taking substantive action, giving the appearance of committing substantial resources,” Warren said. “History has shown that political leaders often endorse the idea of a trust fund but often do not pledge (or deliver) the funds they promise.”