The Country Handbook:
Afghanistan
Economic Conditions: Twenty-four years war completely wrecked the Afghan economy.
The agricultural sector, which accounts for about half of the GDP, has been severely hampered
by abandonment of farms and the huge number of minefields. Agricultural problems have led to
recurring food shortages. Many farmers have come to rely on growing opium as a relatively
lucrative cash crop – both the Taliban and now the Karzai government have attempted to limit
production, with mixed success.
In the industrial sector, which barely functions, was formerly concentrated in mining and some
manufacturing. There are significant deposits of natural gas, coal, salt, barite and other ores. The
small manufacturing sector produces textiles, chemical fertilizers, leather and plastics. Some
trade links have been established with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are now the strongest
economic influences in the country.
Political Conditions: The conventional long form for Afghanistan is Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan. Afghanistan gained its independence, just like a lot of the middle eastern countries,
from the British on August 19 1919. There are 34 provinces in Afghanistan, Kandahar is the
province that is in the most conflict because the NATO forces are fighting the Taliban. The law in
Afghanistan is based on a mix of civil law and Shari law, just like most middle eastern states.
Social Condition: Afghanistan provides a glimpse of the social reality behind the American
media’s talk of a “new democracy” and the supposedly friendly role of the US government in that
country. Almost 25 years Washington intervened to support Islamic fundamentalist forces fighting
the Soviet government in Kabul, and three years after the American military invaded Afghanistan
to overthrow the Taliban regime, the war-torn nation ranks 173rd out of 178 countries in the
United Nations 2004 Human Development Index. Only a handful of African nations suffer more
wretched conditions.
Afghanistan’s Position in the Middle East: The location of Afghanistan astride
the land routes between the Indian subcontinent, Iran, and central Asia has enticed conquerors
throughout history. Its high mountains, although hindering unity, helped the hill tribes to preserve
their independence. The country of Afghanistan was seen as a window to Middle Eastern oil and
by 1979 guerrilla opposition forces, popularly called mujahidin (Islamic Warriors), were active in
much of the country, fighting both Soviet forces and the Soviet-backed Afghan government. The
victorious guerrillas proved unable to unite, however, and the forces of guerrilla leader Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar launched attacks on the new government. As fighting among various factions
continued, Afghanistan was in effect divided into several independent zones, each with its own
ruler. In Aug., 1998, as the Taliban appeared on the verge of taking over the whole country, U.S.
missiles destroyed what was described by the Pentagon as an extensive terrorist training
complex near Kabul run by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born militant accused of masterminding
the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. In November, the United
Nations imposed economic sanctions on Afghanistan; this action and the 1998 U.S. missile
attacks were related to the Afghani refusal to turn over bin Laden. The Taliban controlled 90% of
the country by 2000, but their government was not generally recognized by the international
community but the United Nations recognized President Burhanuddin Rabbani and the Northern
Alliance. In September 2001, in a severe blow to the Northern Alliance, Massoud died as a result
of a suicide bomb attack by assassins posing as Arab journalists. Two days after that attack,
devastating terrorist assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which bin Laden was
apparently involved in planning, prompted new demands by U.S. President Bush for his arrest.
In the spring of 2005 was marked by an increase in attacks by the Taliban and their allies.
Reports of the possible desecration of the Qur'an by U.S. interregators at Guantanamo, when
Afghan prisoners were held by the United States, provoked protests and riots in a number of
Afghan cities and towns in May, 2005. The protests were largely in the country's south and east,
where U.S. forces were operating, and were believed to reflect frustration with the U.S. presence
there as much as anger over the alleged desecration. In conclusion Afghanistan’s position is
against the United States and it’s foreign policy in the Middle East and all other states that
support the United States militarily and ideologically.
Afghanistan’s Allies: Iran- Afghanistan shares a long history with Iran, as the nation was
once a part of ancient Persia. There are also deep ties in language and culture, as an eastern
dialect of Persian ,Farsi and Dari, is the dominant language of Afghanistan, especially in terms of
education and business. Following the emergence of the Taliban and their harsh treatment of
Afghanistan's Shi'a minority, Iran stepped up assistance to the Northern Alliance. RussiaRussia provided military assistance to the Northern Alliance, who eventually proved a major force
in the efforts to overthrow the Taliban regime following U.S. intervention in 2001.In October 2005,
Russian defense officials stated they will be giving helicopters and other military equipment to
Afghanistan's army worth $30 million.United States- Since the 1950s the U.S. extended an
economic assistance program focused on the development of Afghanistan's physical
infrastructure which included roads, dams, and power plants. Later, U.S. aid shifted from
infrastructure projects to technical assistance programs to help develop the skills needed to build
a modern economy. The Peace Corps was active in Afghanistan between 1962 and 1979. The
United States is one of Aghanistan’s allies despite the desemation of the Quran in Guantanomo
Bay in which Afghan prisoners were violated by U.S soliders.
Afghanistan’s Enemies: Pakistan- Pakistan developed close ties to the Taliban
regime, which it believed would offer strategic depth in any future conflict with India, and
extended recognition in 1997. Following the 2001 invasion and overthrow of the Taliban,
Pakistan recognized the transitional administration led by Hamid Karzai and offered significant
amounts of aid and continued relief to Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. As of 2006, AfghanPakistani relations continue to fluctuate due to continued controversy over the Durand Line and
Afghanistan's close relationship with India.
Political Agenda: Afghanistan’s political is foucused mainly on human rights which has not
been really discussed because of the presence of the Taliban forces. Over the past two
decades, the people of Afghanistan have been subjected to grave human rights abuses
perpetrated by their own governments, foreign forces and armed groups supported by foreign
states, and other political organizations. Successive Afghan governments have failed to protect
the rights of the Afghan people, who have been subjected to extreme brutality and deprivation.
The current government in Afghanistan is looking to do what no other past government has ever
done, which is to implement a human rights constitution, similar to other countries such as
Canada.
Long and Short term Political agenda: Afghanistan’s short term political is mainly
focused on implementing a human rights constitution into Afghan law and their long term political
agenda is trying to achieve a stable country that is look up by the rest of the international
community.
The Soviet Invasion: The Soviet invasion was the most important point in Afghanistan’s
history because it was to be the root of all their problems in the future. As part of a Cold War
strategy, in 1979 the United States government began to covertly fund and train anti-government
Mujahideen forces through the Pakistani secret service known as Inter Services Intelligence. The
Soviet occupation resulted in the killings of at least 600,000 to 2 million Afghan civilians. Over 5
million Afghans fled their country to Pakistan, Iran and other parts of the world. The chaos and
corruption that dominated post-Soviet Afghanistan in turn spawned the rise of the Taliban. The
Taliban developed as a politico-religious force, and eventually seized Kabul in 1996. By the end
of 2000 the Taliban were able to capture 95% of the country, aside from the Afghan Northern
Alliance strongholds primarily found in the northeast corner of Badakhshan Province. The Taliban
sought to impose a very strict interpretation of Islamic law. During the Taliban's seven-year rule,
much of the population experienced restrictions on their freedom and violations of their human
rights. Women were banned from jobs, girls forbidden to attend schools or universities. Those
who resisted were punished instantly. Communists were systematically eradicated and thieves
were punished by amputating one of their hands or feet. Meanwhile, the Taliban managed to
nearly eradicate the majority of the opium production by 2001 which is Afghanistan’s main
economic resource.
Timeline:
April 1978
Coup by Afghan communist army officers leads to general uprising and sets stage for Soviet
intervention.
December 1979
Soviet troops invade Afghanistan, deposing Prime Minister Amin and installing
Babrak Karmal as his successor.
May 1985
Major Afghan resistance groups (mujahidin) form alliance to combat Soviet
occupation.
April 14, 1988
Afghanistan and Pakistan sign Geneva Accords pledging mutual noninterference and non-intervention.
February 1989
Soviets complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
March 1992
Afghanistan's Communist regime collapses, igniting civil war, and beginning a
three-year period of growing anarchy and infighting among resistance groups.
Early 1994
Taliban launches organization under leadership of Mullah Omar; over the next
two years, they expand control of Afghan territory from Kandahar base. In Sept.
1996, Taliban establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Only three
governments recognize it: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
May 1996
Osama Bin Laden moves from Sudan to Afghanistan.
September 9, 2001
Assassination of Northern Alliance Leader Ahmad Shah Masood.
September 11, 2001
Terrorist attacks on the United States -- New York, Washington, Pennsylvania.
October 7, 2001
Launch of Operation Enduring Freedom by United States and Coalition Forces.
December 5-6, 2001
Bonn Conference -- United Nations Conference on Afghanistan, which convened cross-section of
political groups to discuss Afghanistan's future. Bonn Agreement was signed; Transitional Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan established. The International Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) is
established under leadership of United Kingdom. Its mandate has been renewed annually by the
United Nations.
December 7, 2001
Coalition forces remove Taliban from power.
December 22, 2001
Hamid Karzai is selected as Chairman of Afghan Interim Authority.
January 21-22, 2002
International donors convene International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to
Afghanistan in Tokyo.
June 10-16, 2002
United Nations convenes Emergency Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on Afghanistan's political future.
On June 13, Loya Jirga delegates select Hamid Karzai to head Transitional Authority.
October 2002
A Constitutional Commission of 35 members is appointed to draft a constitution.
December 2002
First Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) established.
December 2003
Constitutional Loya Jirga delegates -- 500 Afghan civic leaders -- meet in Kabul to debate draft
constitution.
December 16, 2003
Ring Road stage one, linking Kabul to Kandahar is completed, a major rebuilding project
sponsored by the U.S., U.K. and Saudi Arabia. Stage two, from Kandahar to Herat, is scheduled
for completion in Winter 2007.
January 2004
Afghan Constitution adopted by Loya Jirga delegates.
March 31 -- April 1, 2004
International Conference on Afghan Reconstruction in Berlin.
October 9, 2004
Afghan Presidential election. More than 8.1 million Afghans participate.
December 7, 2004
Inauguration of Hamid Karzai as democratically-elected President of Afghanistan.
May 23, 2005
U.S. and Afghanistan formalize Strategic Partnership, reaffirming U.S. long-term commitment to
Afghanistan's reconstruction and stabilization.
September 18, 2005
National Assembly and Provincial Council elections. More than 6.2 million Afghans vote.
December 19, 2005
National Assembly inaugurated in Kabul.
January 31-February 1
International Conference on Afghanistan in London.
Summer 2006
ISAF scheduled to expand mission in southern Afghanistan, and increase troop presence.