As often with outsiders, helping the Afghans may not actually be the main point.

大多数时候和其他局外人一样，帮助阿富汗可不是真正的主要问题。

youdao

Much of the recovery is thanks to swingeing spending cuts and tax hikes, often imposed at the behest of outsiders such as the IMF, and sometimes with scant regard for legality or democratic niceties.

ECONOMIST: Putinisation in eastern Europe