College Students (1970s)

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1963
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1963
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1968
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1968
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1968
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1968
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College Students (1970s)
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Soviet Invasion 1979
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Soviet Invasion 1979

• December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union, to
  support the failing Communist regime that they
  backed in a 1978 coup, invaded.
• Reasons for establishing a communist
  government and subsequent invasion
• Extend influence and create strategic depth
  Afghanistan a strategic location just south of
  Soviet Central Asian holdings and a gateway to
  influence in the Middle East
• Political gamesmanship rendered a battlefield as
  America began to support (both governmental and
  private sector) anti-communist elements provoking
  strong Soviets reaction
• Resolve to quell possibility of Central Asian
  nationalism movements and Iranian influence in
  Afghanistan and the region

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Soviet Invasion 1979

• Invasions Effects
• 10 die
• Many flee to the nation
• (in the 80s, 1/2 refugees worldwide were Afghan)
• the largest portion, 6 million, flee to Pakistan
  - coerced into sending sons to Saudi established,
  Pakistani-backed Madrassas connected to the ISI
• 2 million more displaced inside Afghanistan
• 70 of the country reduced to rubble (including
  5,000 of 15,000 villages)
• More than 50 of agriculture sector and most of
  the irrigation system destroyed
• Rendered the most heavily mined nation in the
  world with 10-15 million landmines planted by the
  Soviet soldiers
• Ethnic split of Afghanistan begins.

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Soviet Withdrawal 1989
February 15, 1989, Soviet troops withdraw from
Afghanistan. Victorious Mujahideen consist of
various groups backed by different foreign
elements - this leads to each developing its own
agendas. Allies who pushed Afghans to fight
Soviets generally leave the nation to deal with
subsequent problems itself and no power structure
to do so.
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Civil War

• Soviet withdrawal and abandonment by allies
  creates a power vacuum.
• Various groups seek to take power for
  themselves.
• Civil war engulfs the nation resulting in
• fighting between warlords
• the destruction of much of what remains of Kabul
• an increase in extreme laws/unlawfulness in
  areas marked by tribal, ethnic and religious
  killing, and executions
• increased corruption as warlords abuse their
  positions.

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Rise of the Taliban
Much of the refugee population within Pakistan
resurfaces. Students schooled in Madrassas
taught religious fundamentalism. These students,
led by an instructor, Mullah Omar, organize as a
political/military unit and call themselves the
Taliban. Backed by Pakistans ISI and funded
mainly by elements in Gulf States. Initially
welcomed as liberators from corruption and chaos.
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Life under the Taliban

• The Talibans strict Sharia law
• Long list of sad, shocking, and absurd laws
  enacted
• Examples required beard length for men, various
  abuses of womens rights, and banning of music
  and most sports.
• Inhumane punishments (often forcing public to
  watch or take part)
• Punishments included beatings by religious
  police, amputation of hands, public executions,
  and stoning

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Life under the Taliban
Legacy of destruction Kill more than 8,000
Hazara in Mazar-i-Sharif and Bamiyan Attack
those of different religious beliefs, Muslim or
otherwise Destroy the Giant Buddhas in Bamiyan
in 2001 Obliterate Afghan culture including
poems and texts, libraries, artifacts, film, and
music.
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Fall of the Taliban

• During the Taliban era, the world largely
  ignores all crimes against the Afghan people.
• The Taliban provide a haven for the al-Qaida
  allowing them a base for orchestrating the
  September 11, 2001 attacks on New York.
• On November 27, 2001, after the Taliban had been
  removed from power a month earlier, various
  Afghan groups meet in Bonn Germany to form an
  interim government. This is the basis for the
  modern state of Afghanistan.

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• CURRENT STATE

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Problems - Corruption

• 5th worst on 2008 Corruption Perception Index
• Internal perception
• Afghans citizens believe corruption high in
  governmental and non-governmental sectors
• Government not afraid to address the issue.
• Perceived most corrupt government areas
• Justice sector
• Security sector
• Customs
• Municipalities.
• Causes
• Narcotics
• Uncompetitive salaries/lack of any salaries at
  times
• Lack or feared lack of job security
• Insurgency - causes government focus to be on
  other areas
• Nepotism or job provision for other ulterior
  reasons.

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Problems - Corruption

• Steps taken to address corruption
• Creating transparency (information accessible to
  public, streamlined bureaucratic systems)
• Implementing other safe-measures (requiring
  greater number of signatures to gain certain
  authorizations).
• Specific programs/actions taken
• 2004 - Government signed the UN Convention
  against Corruption
• Law against corruption and bribery was
  promulgated
• General Independent Administration
  for Anti-Corruption established.
• 2005.1 - The Afghanistan Compact (a 5-year plan
  of action) agreed between the
  Government and international community -
  included anti-corruption benchmarks.
• 2007.8 - Independent Directorate of Local
  Governance established to
  focus on the sub-national government in areas
  such as corruption

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Problems - Narcotics

• Poppy farming endemic began due to collapse of
  economy and lawlessness
• Generate about 90 of worlds opium
• Largest Afghanistan-based revenue for the
  Taliban
• At least 1 out of 12 Afghans abuses drugs (UN
  survey 2009).

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Problems - Taliban

• Recent resurgence
• Estimates say there are 25,000 Taliban soldiers
• Attacks against civilians sharply escalated 2007
  saw 140 suicide bombings - more than in the past
  five years combined, killing more than 300 people.

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International Aid

• Top donor - United States, Japan - 3rd (roughly
  US2 billion)
• Despite all that is pledged, roughly 1/3 remains
  undelivered
• Efficiency problems around 40 of aid its way
  back to the donor countries.

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• ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE 2001

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Achievements

• Health
• Basic healthcare Package covers 85 (up from 9
  in 2003)
• Over 1,700 active health facilities nationwide.
• Education
• 6.2 million children attending schools (40
  girls)
• Around 4,000 school buildings constructed or
  rehabilitated
• 4,400 more planned in next 4 years (eventually
  73,000 new classrooms).
• Social Security
• More than five million refugees have returned
  since 2002.

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Achievements

• Economy
• GDP per capita increased by more than 100 since
  2001
• Micro Finance loans have benefited nearly 440,000
  households.
• Natural Resource Management
• 200,000 hectares of land benefited from
  irrigation schemes
• 3 million people benefited from rural water and
  sanitation projects.
• Telecommunications
• 80 have access to telecommunications.
• Media
• More than 80 radio stations and 30 TV stations,
  numerous newspapers.

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Achievements

• Womens rights
• 28 parliamentarians are women
• 26 of all civil servants are women.
• Poppy eradication,
• Poppy cultivation area down 22 to 123,000
  hectares (304,000 acres) in 2009 2nd
  consecutive year of decline
• 20 of 34 provinces poppy-free two more than
  last year
• Afghan and NATO troops for destroying large
  amounts of chemicals, seeds, drugs, and 27 labs
  in 2009
• Alternative options offered to opium farmers
  vouchers to buy cheap seeds and infrastructure
  jobs.
• Security
• Roughly 8 million unexploded ordinances have been
  cleared
• Afghan National Army 100,000 active soldiers
• Afghan National Police 80,000 active officers.

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Achievements - Elections

• Elections
• Second free elections (after more than three
  decades) were held
• Run-off scheduled for November 7th
• 6,969 polling stations in 1st round
• 323 women ran for provincial council seats of the
  3,300 candidates in total
• 250,000 journalists and observers witnessed the
  election.

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Achievements - Elections

• Reasons behind lengthy process
• Challenges
• Lack of infrastructure no easy access
  computerized voting (electricity problems, lack
  of equipment, lack of experts).
• Ballot boxes set up in remote locations and
  delivered back to a counting station
• Security
• Fraud over-emphasized, but present.
• Transparency Procedure
• Independent Electoral Commission
• Administrates and supervises all elections
  consists of nine members, including a
  chairperson.
• The Electoral Complaints Commission
• Independent body to review all challenges and
  complaints related to the electoral process
  consists of five commissioners

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• FUTURE GOALS CHALLENGES

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Future Goals

• Exploit opportunities
• Natural resources
• Significant natural resource potential resources
  remain greatly underutilized, untouched, or
  undiscovered
• More than 1,400 mineral deposits identified
  including oil, gas and coal and other metallic
  and non-precious minerals such as gemstones,
  copper, iron, gold
• The World Bank estimates value of solid minerals
  potential to reach US600 million by 2015, up
  from US60 million in 2004.
• Youth
• 44.5 of the population 14 or younger
• 70 of the population 20 or younger
• Motivated and ready for peace and prosperity.

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Challenges

• Key areas needing development
• Energy
• Rely on imported energy
• Desire self-sufficiency
• Development of untapped resources would allow
  this self-sufficiency and exportation of excess
  resources to other nations.
• Agriculture
• Aim for self-sufficiency
• 80 involved in agricultural work not man power
  or land problem irrigation, proper techniques,
  proper crops, and infrastructure needed.

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Challenges

• Security
• Problems are tied to neighboring states affairs
• Taliban still funded, trained, and supplied
  outside Afghan borders
• Madrassas still train future militants between
  10,000 and 30,000 madrassas across the border
• Reconciliation
• Militants not one force. Insurgents include
  Taliban, al-Qaeda, Hezb-e Islami, and Haqqani
  Network (Taliban have multiple leaders)
• No place for foreign militants
• Open to peaceful relations with Afghan insurgents
  if they
• Lay down their arms
• Accept our constitution.
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission has brought
  some 3,000 to the governments side
• Preventative steps most effective soldiers
  typiclly join due to financial hardships or are
  other coercion sense of hope, jobs, and future
  prospects will bring them to our side.

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Challenges

• Increasing trade
• Security concerns
• Lack of infrastructure, land locked with no
  maritime claims
• Agreement with Pakistan over access to sea port
• Air freight needs to become feasible
• Plans to build railroads both to the North and
  the East to decrease dependency on Pakistan and
  Iran.
• Reintegrating returning refugees
• Tend to flock to cities already existing
  population problems bring infrastructure
  challenges.
• New Kabul City to address this
• 500 square kilometer area north of the existing
  Kabul
• planned for 3 million inhabitants
• Envisioned 2025 completion.

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• Thank You Manana - Tashakor