Existing empirical work linking conflict to economic development has been motivated by formal theories of insurgency which do not adequately account for the political nature of violence. Based on a series of interviews with fieldworkers and development experts in Afghanistan, we reject the prominent notion that aid should reduce violence. In fact, there are multiple channels through which aid can exacerbate conflict. Alternative explanations of the relationship between development spending and violence are tested with unique data on development spending across Afghanistan from 2005 to 2009. There is no evidence that aid spending generally reduces violence. By distinguishing between various contexts of development, however, we are able to shine some light on the effectiveness of aid spending in conflict zones. Field: empirical.