DOCSLIB.ORG

CAPE Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2012)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CAPE Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2012) Country Assistance Program Evaluation Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Independent Evaluation Country Assistance Program Evaluation October 2012 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Reference Number: CAP:AFG 2012-13 Independent Evaluation: CE-28 NOTES (i) In this report, "$" refers to US dollars. (ii) For an explanation of rating descriptions used in evaluation reports of the Asian Development Bank, see ADB. 2010. Revised Guidelines for the Preparation of Country Assistance Program Evaluations. Manila. Director General V. Thomas, Independent Evaluation Department (IED) Director H. Hettige, Independent Evaluation Division 2, IED Team leader T. Yokota, Senior Evaluation Specialist, IED Team members A. Brubaker, Evaluation Specialist, IED K. Hewitt, Evaluation Specialist, IED R. Vasudevan, Evaluation Specialist, IED J. Dimayuga, Senior Evaluation Officer, IED A. Morales, Evaluation Officer, IED O. Nuestro, Evaluation Officer, IED E. Li-Mancenido, Associate Evaluation Analyst, IED The guidelines formally adopted by the Independent Evaluation Department on avoiding conflict of interest in its independent evaluations were observed in the preparation of this report. To the knowledge of the management of Independent Evaluation Department, there were no conflicts of interest of the persons preparing, reviewing, or approving this report. In preparing any evaluation report, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Independent Evaluation Department does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Abbreviations ADB – Asian Development Bank ADF – Asian Development Fund AITF – Afghanistan Infrastructure Trust Fund ANDS – Afghanistan National Development Strategy ANR – agriculture and natural resources ARTF – Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund CAPE – country assistance program evaluation CAREC – Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation CPS – country partnership strategy CSO – Central Statistics Organization CSP – country strategy and program DABM – Da Afghanistan Breshna Moassassa DABS – Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat DFID – Department for International Development of the United Kingdom DMF – design and monitoring framework EIRR – economic internal rate of return FMPARP – Fiscal Management and Public Administration Reform Program GDP – gross domestic product IED – Independent Evaluation Department IMF – International Monetary Fund JFPR – Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction km – kilometer LARP – land acquisition and resettlement plan m – meter MDG – Millennium Development Goal MEW – Ministry of Energy and Water MFF – multitranche financing facility MOF – Ministry of Finance MPW – Ministry of Public Works NGO – nongovernment organization NPP – national priority program O&M – operation and maintenance PBA – performance-based allocation PCR – project completion report PIU – project implementation unit PSFMDP – Private Sector and Financial Market Development Program PSM – public sector management RRP – report and recommendation of the President TA – technical assistance TCR – technical assistance completion report UN – United Nations UNDP – United Nations Development Programme US – United States USAID – United States Agency for International Development Contents Preface v Acknowledgments vii Executive Summary ix Management Response xvii Chair’s Summary: Development Effectiveness Committee xxi Maps xxiii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 A. Objectives 1 B. Scope and Approach 1 Chapter 2: Country Context 4 A. Background 4 B. Economic and Social Development Since 2001 5 C. New Challenges in the Post-Transition Period 11 Chapter 3: Country Strategies and Program 14 A. Government Strategy 14 B. ADB’s Country Strategies and Program 15 C. ADB Portfolio 16 D. Allocation of Funding from the Asian Development Fund 18 E. Afghanistan Infrastructure Trust Fund 20 Chapter 4: Design and Implementation of the Strategies and Program 22 A. ADB’s Role in the Extensive Foreign Support 22 B. A Decade of Operating in a Conflict-Affected Situation 32 C. Effects of Security Concerns and Inadequate Implementation Support 37 Chapter 5: Support for Capacity Development 42 A. Public Sector Managemet 42 B. Private Sector Development and Financial Sector 44 Chapter 6: Results and Sustainability 46 A. Three Infrastructure Sectors 46 B. Private Sector Development and Financial Sector 50 C. Capacity Development for Public Sector Management 50 D. Impacts 52 E. Sustainability 54 Chapter 7: Assessment 56 A. Assessment by Evaluation Criteria 56 B. Overall Rating 60 Chapter 8: Challenges, Lessons, and Recommendations 63 A. Security and the Kabul Process 63 B. Making Development Demand-Driven 64 C. Sustainability 65 D. Capacity Development and Governance 66 E. ADB Administration 66 Appendixes 1. Evaluation Framework 69 2. Afghanistan’s Opium Economy 71 3. Country Economic and Social Improvements and Millennium Development Goals 73 4. Summary of ADB's Country Partnership Strategies for Afghanistan 82 5. ADB Program Implementation and Portfolio 89 6. Summary of Transport Sector Assessment 100 7. Summary of Energy Sector Assessment 114 8. Summary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sector Assessment 125 9. Summary of Public Sector Management Assessment 135 10. Summary of Private Sector Development and Financial Sector Assessment 154 11. Summary of Resettlement Assessment 171 12. ADB and Government Performance 189 Preface In 2002, the transitional government of Afghanistan, supported by the international community, established priorities and implemented some important early measures laying the foundations for economic stability, resumption of growth, and provision of social services. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) assumed a key role in the international community’s efforts to plan for and help in the reconstruction. With the significant support of the international community, starting from the very basics, Afghanistan achieved some progress. But the gaps are crucial and the challenges daunting. This first country assistance program evaluation report for Afghanistan provides an independent assessment of ADB’s strategy and program in Afghanistan covering the period from ADB’s reengagement with the country in 2002 through 2011. During this period, support approved by ADB totaled $2,732 million, 65% of which came from grants. ADB’s operations in Afghanistan have continued under highly uncertain, extremely difficult, and risky conditions with the continued dedication and hard work of staff. Initial years called for an emergency approach for infrastructure provision, and ADB responded to this urgency. Situations of emergency call for quick actions. Equally important, they stress the need for protocols and quality standards in order to ensure effectiveness and sustainability of outcomes. The 750-kilometer network of improved roads, rehabilitated with support from ADB, allows travel in less time. Four airports are functional, providing access to remote parts of the country. ADB-supported transmission lines have improved power supplies to Kabul, where electricity is available almost around the clock in 2012 compared with about 4 hours a day in 2002. ADB has also contributed to financial reforms and the emergence of the private sector. At the same time, several important program outcomes have yet to be realized, particularly in the vital areas of agriculture and natural resources, attributable to implementation weaknesses, inter alia, because of the security situation. Capacity development efforts call for substantial improvement, human resources need strengthening, and institutional reforms require careful support. While there were achievements in supporting gender equality, a much stronger and sustained approach is needed. Monitoring of outcomes has been weak; ADB must set concrete, achievable targets and ensure systematic and regular monitoring. The evaluation finds the crucial need for continued support from the international community, including ADB. This, however, must be accompanied by far stronger action on capacity development and reforms to improve development effectiveness. The evaluation recommends that ADB acknowledge the conflict more clearly and set the next country partnership strategy period for 3 years or less. In responding to country demands, it calls for an effort to link development efforts across sectors and partners. It asks for a greater stress on the sustainability of interventions supporting reforms and fiscal implementation, and on capacity development and governance improvements tailored to the country’s unique circumstances. It also suggests a strengthening of the operational capacity of the resident mission and of the management procedures of the Afghanistan Infrastructure Trust Fund. Vinod Thomas Director General Independent Evaluation Acknowledgments This country assistance program evaluation (CAPE) report for Afghanistan was prepared in 2012 by a team led by Toshiyuki Yokota, Senior Evaluation Specialist, Division 2, Independent Evaluation Department (IED), under the overall guidance of IED Director General, Vinod Thomas and IED Division 2 Director, Hemamala Hettige. The CAPE report integrates the findings of sector assessments on agriculture and natural resources, capacity development for public sector management, energy, private sector development and financial sector, and transport. These sector assessments were conducted in 2011–2012 by IED staff: Andrew Brubaker, Kelly Hewitt, Rajesh Vasudevan, and the team leader, with support from Ma. Juana Dimayuga,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Afghanistan State Structure and Security Forces
    European Asylum Support Office Afghanistan State Structure and Security Forces Country of Origin Information Report August 2020 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office Afghanistan State Structure and Security Forces Country of Origin Information Report August 2020 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN: 978-92-9485-650-0 doi: 10.2847/115002 BZ-02-20-565-EN-N © European Asylum Support Office (EASO) 2020 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: © Al Jazeera English, Helmand, Afghanistan 3 November 2012, url CC BY-SA 2.0 Taliban On the Doorstep: Afghan soldiers from 215 Corps take aim at Taliban insurgents. 4 — AFGHANISTAN: STATE STRUCTURE AND SECURITY FORCES - EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT Acknowledgements This report was drafted by the European Asylum Support Office COI Sector. The following national asylum and migration department contributed by reviewing this report: The Netherlands, Office for Country Information and Language Analysis, Ministry of Justice It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, it but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. AFGHANISTAN: STATE STRUCTURE AND SECURITY
    [Show full text]
  • Afghan Internationalism and the Question of Afghanistan's Political Legitimacy
    This is a repository copy of Afghan internationalism and the question of Afghanistan's political legitimacy. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/126847/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Leake, E orcid.org/0000-0003-1277-580X (2018) Afghan internationalism and the question of Afghanistan's political legitimacy. Afghanistan, 1 (1). pp. 68-94. ISSN 2399-357X https://doi.org/10.3366/afg.2018.0006 This article is protected by copyright. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Edinburgh University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies in "Afghanistan". Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Afghan internationalism and the question of Afghanistan’s political legitimacy1 Abstract This article uses Afghan engagement with twentieth-century international politics to reflect on the fluctuating nature of Afghan statehood and citizenship, with a particular focus on Afghanistan’s political ‘revolutions’ in 1973 and 1978.
    [Show full text]
  • Visual Propaganda in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan – Part 2
    The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series 5 (1/2017): 67–87 [article] DOI: 10.4467/24506249PJ.17.004.6811 Visual Propaganda in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan – Part 2. Leading Role of the Party Mateusz M. Kłagisz Abstract In this article, a single poster of the Peopleʼs Democratic Party of Afgh- anistan is discussed. The starting point for the project is the statement that persuasion is more effective than compulsion and the fact that the Afghan communists did not find any formula to start an effective dia- logue with their society. The primary question for the article is: what kind of communication, and what sort of themes and motifs played a significant role in conveying revolutionary ideology aimed at a society where a majority, with political potential, could not read or write? Keywords: Party, masses, leading role, unity, cooperation Dr. Mateusz M. Kłagisz is an assistant professor at the Depart- ment of Iranian Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. His main area of research on Afghanistan includes the question of modern- isation and regression in twentieth-century Afghanistan, especially in the communist period (1978–1992). e-mail: [email protected] Kłagisz, Visual Propaganda… 68 Our party is our school / And our laughter / We are its guard / We follow its path / (…) / We are scouts / And we are equal / If you fight with the enemy / You are the scoutsʼ friend1 The article, as a continuation of a text published in20152, is part of a re- search project on the propaganda employed by the would-be Leninist gov- ernment represented by the Peopleʼs Democratic Party of Afghanistan (here- after: PDPA)3.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Game to 9/11
    Air Force Engaging the World Great Game to 9/11 A Concise History of Afghanistan’s International Relations Michael R. Rouland COVER Aerial view of a village in Farah Province, Afghanistan. Photo (2009) by MSst. Tracy L. DeMarco, USAF. Department of Defense. Great Game to 9/11 A Concise History of Afghanistan’s International Relations Michael R. Rouland Washington, D.C. 2014 ENGAGING THE WORLD The ENGAGING THE WORLD series focuses on U.S. involvement around the globe, primarily in the post-Cold War period. It includes peacekeeping and humanitarian missions as well as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom—all missions in which the U.S. Air Force has been integrally involved. It will also document developments within the Air Force and the Department of Defense. GREAT GAME TO 9/11 GREAT GAME TO 9/11 was initially begun as an introduction for a larger work on U.S./coalition involvement in Afghanistan. It provides essential information for an understanding of how this isolated country has, over centuries, become a battleground for world powers. Although an overview, this study draws on primary- source material to present a detailed examination of U.S.-Afghan relations prior to Operation Enduring Freedom. Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. Cleared for public release. Contents INTRODUCTION The Razor’s Edge 1 ONE Origins of the Afghan State, the Great Game, and Afghan Nationalism 5 TWO Stasis and Modernization 15 THREE Early Relations with the United States 27 FOUR Afghanistan’s Soviet Shift and the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
    The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The present Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was agreed upon by more than 500 delegates representing Afghan men and women from across the country at the Constitutional Loya Jirga (December 13, 2003 - January 4, 2004 ). The Constitution was formally ratified by President Hamid Karzai at a ceremony in Kabul on January 26, 2004. The full text of the Constitution may be found below. Note: this is an unofficial English translation of the Constitution. In any conflict between this and the original Dari / Pashto Constitution, the Dari / Pashto version shall take precedence. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Ratified) January 26, 2004 In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of Worlds; and Praise and Peace be upon Mohammad, His Last Messenger and his disciples and followers We the people of Afghanistan: • Believing firmly in Almighty God, relying on His divine will and adhering to the Holy religion of Islam; • Realizing the previous injustices, miseries and innumerable disasters which have befallen our country; • Appreciating the sacrifices, historical struggles, jihad and just resistance of all the peoples of Afghanistan, admiring the supreme position of the martyr’s of the country’s freedom; • Comprehending that a united, indivisible Afghanistan belongs to all its tribes and peoples; • Observing the United Nations Charter
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan Translation
    APPENDIX I LIST OF PROJECTS COMPLETED ACCORDING TO THE USSR’S COMMITMENTS TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN # Name of Site or Project Year of Completion 1-8. Eight oil reservoirs (total volume 8300 cubic meters) 1952-1958 9. Asphalt/concrete production plant in Kabul, paving the streets , and 1955 delivery of road machinery (supplying equipment and technical aid rendered through Ministry of Foreign Trade) 10. Combined grain/bread producing factory in the city of Kabul: one grain 1957 elevator (volume 50 tons of grain), two mills ( capacity 375 tons of grind per 24 hours), a breadbaking factory – (capacity 70 tons of baked items per 24 hours) 11. Grain elevator in the city of Puli-Khumri (volume 20.000 tons of grain) 1957 12. River port Shirkhan (processing capacity of 155,000 tons of freight a 1959 year including 20,000 tons of petroleum products) Expansion of the port 1961 13. Bridge over the Khanabad River (120 meters in length) near the Alchin 1959 settlement 14. Auto repair factory in Kabul (technical capacity to provide major repair 1960 services for 1373 cars and 750 tons of metal items per year) 15-16. Two bridges (each 30 meters long) over the rivers Salang and Gurband 1961 17. Airdrome Bagram (3,000 meter landing strip) 1961 18. International airdrome in Kabul (2,800 meter landing strip, width of 47 1962 meters) 19. Puli-Khumri electric power station on the river Kunduz (total output 1962 9,000 KW) 20-22. Three bridges in the province of Nangarhar over the river Kunar in the 1964 areas of Bihsud, Kama and Asmar (360, 230, and 35 meters long, respectively) 23.
    [Show full text]
  • Improving Afghanistan Policy Michael O’Hanlon
    THE FOREIGN POLICY BRIEF BROOKINGS Volume 2, Number 1 January 2016 Improving Afghanistan Policy Michael O’Hanlon ecent weeks have brought yet more troubling intelligence assets in the vicinity, as was witnessed in Rnews from Afghanistan. The Taliban killed 35 ci- the fall raids. vilians near Kandahar Air Base on December 9, then struck again in Kabul causing Spanish and Afghan For all the discouraging news of late, however, the sit- losses, and then killed six Americans on patrol near uation in Afghanistan is far from hopeless. For each Bagram Air Base on December 21. Taliban forces have negative trend, there is an important counterargu- made considerable inroads in Helmand province, im- ment. Rather than throw up our collective arms in portant for its history and its role in opium produc- frustration, the United States should instead reinvigo- tion (which enriches the Taliban) and its proximity rate its effort in Afghanistan—not at the level of earli- to the Taliban’s historic capital of Kandahar. President er years, but modestly more than is the case right now. Ashraf Ghani went to Pakistan in mid-December in The United States should also think creatively about the hope that Islamabad would rein in the Taliban, how Pakistan might be induced to be more coopera- but instead all he got was the resignation of his top tive in the Afghanistan project. But that is a big and intelligence officer, who felt that Ghani was becoming partly separate issue that I will address only in passing a supplicant to the enemy. All this happened even as here.
    [Show full text]
  • Constitution of the Republic of Afghanistan
    Constitution of the Republic of Afghanistan Publisher National Legislative Bodies / National Authorities Author Islamic State of Afghanistan Publication 30 November 1987 Date Reference AFG­010 Constitution of the Republic of Afghanistan [], 30 November 1987, available at: Cite as http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b52e28.html [accessed 28 November 2014] Comments This is an unofficial translation. This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily Disclaimer endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL! The prideful history of our beloved homeland, Afghanistan is enriched, with the heroic struggle of our brave people for independence, national sovereignty, national unity, democracy and social progress. At the present stage the State of the Republic of Afghanistan is actively carrying on the policy of national reconciliation, relying upon the support of national, political and patriotic forces. Therefore, keeping in mind the historic changes that have taken shape in our homeland and in the contemporary world, adhering to the principles of the sacred religion of Islam, abiding by the accepted Afghan traditions and rituals, relying upon the realities of the country's history and culture, respecting the valuable heritages of the Constitutionalist Movement and in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal
    [Show full text]
  • NEW EVIDENCE on the WAR in AFGHANISTAN Introduction
    COLD WAR INTERNATIONAL HISTORY PROJECT BULLETIN, ISSUE 14/15 NEW EVIDENCE ON THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN Introduction By Christian Friedrich Ostermann hat was behind the Soviet decision in December a substitute foothold in Afghanistan and worried about main- 1979 to invade Afghanistan? And when and why taining its credibility with communist world allies. Soviet lead- Wdid Mikhail Gorbachev decide to pull out Soviet ers were genuinely concerned that Afghan strongman troops nearly ten years later? What was the role of the US Hafizullah Amin was either a US agent or prepared to sell out covert assistance program, in particular the Stinger missiles? to the United States. At the CWIHP conference, former US What role did CIA intelligence play? How did the Afghan Charge d’Affaires J. Bruce Amstutz as well as other partici- War’s history, a key step in the rise of militant Islam, intersect pants forcefully refuted allegations of Agency links to Amin. with the history of the final decade of the Cold War? These In his five conversations with Amin in the fall of 1979, Amstutz were among the questions addressed at a major international remembered, the Afghan leader did not in any way suggest conference, “Towards an International History of the War in that he was interested in allying himself with the United States. Afghanistan,” organized in April 2002 by the Cold War Inter- US relations with successive communist regimes in Af- national History Project (CWIHP) in cooperation with the ghanistan had been volatile since the April 1978 communist Woodrow Wilson
    [Show full text]
  • The Constitution of Afghanistan
    Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The Constitution of Afghanistan (Ratified) January 26, 2004 The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The present Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was agreed upon by more than 500 delegates representing Afghan men and women from across the country at the Constitutional Loya Jirga (December 13, 2003 - January 4, 2004 ). The Constitution was formally ratified by President Hamid Karzai at a ceremony in Kabul on January 26, 2004. The full text of the Constitution may be found below. Note: this is an unofficial English translation of the Constitution. In any conflict between this and the original Dari / Pashto Constitution, the Dari / Pashto version shall take precedence. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The Constitution In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful Contents Preamble Chapter One: State (21 articles) Chapter Two: Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens (38 arti cles) Chapter Three: The President (11 articles) Chapter Four: Government (10 articles) Chapter Five: National Assembly (29 articles) Chapter Six: Loya Jirga (6 articles) Chapter Seven: The Judiciary (20 articles) Chapter Eight: Administration (7 articles) Chapter Nine: State of Emergency (6 articles) Chapter Ten: Amendments (2 articles) Chapter Eleven: Miscellaneous Provisions (7 articles) Chapter Twelve: Transitional Provisions (5 articles) 2 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The Constitution Preamble In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher
    [Show full text]
  • The Soviet-Afghan War: a Superpower Mired in the Mountains
    WARNING! The views expressed in FMSO publications and reports are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. THE SOVIET-AFGHAN WAR: A SUPERPOWER MIRED IN THE MOUNTAINS by Lester W. Grau, Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, KS. This article was previously published in The Journal of Slavic Military Studies March 2004 Volume 17, Number 1 The Soviet-Afghan War involved more than the Soviets and Mujahideen resistance. Afghan communists (the DRA) were involved in the immediate struggle and a large number of countries supplied the Mujahideen during this "Cold War" hot war. Their struggle and their lessons are outlined. The author does not usually write without footnotes, but he wrote this article during a trip to Iraq and lacked his reference library. Needless to say, he drew on his knowledge about the war and the knowledge he gained from noted authorities on the subject. These include Ali Jalali, Barnett Rubin, Riaz Khan, Mohammad Youssaf, Brace Amstutz, Artem Borovik, Aleksandr Lyakhovskiy, Aleksandr Mayorov, Scott McMichael, Makhmut Gareev, David Isby, Boris Gromov, Rasul Rais, and Louis Dupree. Soaring mountains dominate Afghanistan and shape its culture, history, social structure, customs, politics and economy. Vast, trackless deserts, mighty rivers and lush cropland further define this remote country. Militarily, the operational key terrain is the limited road network that connects its cities in a giant ring with side roads to Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. There are only 24 kilometers of railroad in Afghanistan--and these are split in two unconnected segments--leftover spurs from the former Soviet Union’s incursion.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan, a Country Study
    Afghanistan, a country study Edited by Peter R. Blood Afghanistan, a country study Table of Contents Afghanistan, a country study...................................................................................................................................1 Edited by Peter R. Blood................................................................................................................................1 PREFACE......................................................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 1. HISTORICAL SETTING................................................................................................................5 THE PRE−ISLAMIC PERIOD.....................................................................................................................5 Achaemenid Rule, ca. 550−331 B.C.......................................................................................................5 Alexander and Greek Rule, 330−ca. 150 B.C.........................................................................................6 Central Asian and Sassanian Rule, ca. 150 B.C.−700 A.D.....................................................................6 ISLAMIC CONQUEST.................................................................................................................................7 Ghaznavid and Ghorid Rule....................................................................................................................7 Mongol Rule, 1220−1506........................................................................................................................8
    [Show full text]