Will Afghanistan achieve peace and prosperity - Research Paper Example

? Hope For Peace In Afghanistan Introduction Afghanistan is an Arab nation bordering China, Iran and Pakistan, Tajikistan and uzebkistan. This region is usually referred by many political analysts as the deadly triangle as a result of a series of civil wars experienced by the three nations. It is a landlocked nation occupying part of South, Central and Western Asia. Afghanistan’s population is approximated to be thirty million head counts which almost the same as that of that of Uganda in Africa. Afghans population growth rate is approximately similar to the population growth rates of most third world country like Brazil. Afghanistan is approximately 647,500 square km making it one of the top fifty most populous countries in the world as a result of the large population occupying a small area1. Location of Afghanistan on the globe as produced by the UN, retrieved on December 1, 2013 Afghans urban civilization is believed to have begun in early 3000 to 2000 BC. Afghanistan is home to people from various parts of the world given its strategic location as a connection point between the Middle East, Central Asia and India. This is clearly seen the wake of military campaigns in this nation dating the era of Alexander the great of Britain, Russia, Arab Muslims, and Genghis khan. Afghanistan is a nation which was formed after an agreement between British and Russia. The fight for Afghanistan is experienced in the modern era of religious groups likes Taliban and the Western nation each having the desire to control the mineral deposits in Afghanistan2. The history of Afghanistan is begun in 1709 after the establishment of Hostaki dynasty, which led to the rise of Pashtuns. The Hostaki dynasty was preceded by the Duran Empire in 1747. After the great Anglo-Afghan war, the king began to modernize Afghanistan using the British system. This method of modernization was met by opposition from the conservative Muslims. When the British withdrew the neighboring India during the cold war, Russia and the United States started influencing Afghanistan. These influences from United States led to war between Russian backed Afghanistan government, and US backed Mujahedeen militia in 1779. This was the beginning of a series of wars in Afghanistan including the 1990s civil war, the Taliban wars and the present war led by the United Nations security forces (Riphenburg 2006). A photo of American forces in Afghanistan: produced by CIA, retrieved on December 1, 2013 Resources Afghans natural resources include coal, copper, iron ore, lithium, uranium, rare earth elements, chromite, gold, zinc, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, marble, precious and semi precious stones, natural gas and petroleum. Afghanistan government estimates quite a large number of untapped mineral resources. Afghanistan is endowed with five major rivers which include: Helmand River, the Kunar River, the Oxus River, the Hari rod river and the Panjisher River. The five rivers in Afghanistan are fed by the snows and glaciers on the mountains of Afghanistan, and they flow to the neighboring Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan. This implies that Afghanistan supplies its neighbors with freshwater which is very crucial for the survival of any nation. Poor management of water resources is a contentious issue in Afghanistan3. Afghans landscape; produced by Aljazeera, retrieved in December 1, 2013 This is because most residents of Afghanistan do not get the chance to enjoy this crucial resource regardless of its abundance the country. Everyone wants to control the parts endowed with water resource since most leaders believe that once they take control of water resource, they can control a vast population of any nation. A country like Afghanistan which has this great resource in abundance should not be complaining of scarcity of water. This though does not surprise many due to poor management of water resources in Afghanistan. Afghanistan also lack proper infrastructure, which can aid in water storage since water is available only in the southern regions. Just like most third world nations, Afghanistan faces pollution, poor sanitation, water inadequacy and the fear of conflicts over control of natural resources. Water is not only a political issue within Afghanistan, but also regionally and internationally4. This is because Afghanistan supplies most of its neighbor’s with this resource. Just like in the case of contentious river in the East African region, the neighbors of Afghanistan fear that once Afghanistan starts utilizing its water resources effectively, there could be a decrease in supply to these countries. This fear is a result of massive renovation of infrastructure by Afghanistan after years of civil war. This however, is the main source of worry to many Afghans who fear that after withdraw of international forces; regional powers would start the war in Afghanistan over the control of Afghanistan waters5. The southern regions in Afghanistan are endowed with vast forest cover and minerals. Afghans living in these areas are able to practice agriculture which could be a future pillar in development of Afghanistan. The fear that faces these people is the fact that every nation wants to control these regions in the fight for resources. Finding peace and prosperity in Afghanistan is an easy task once the government and the people of Afghanistan join hands in management of the nation’s natural resources without necessarily depending on external forces. When managed appropriately, Afghanistan can be one of the richest countries in the world due to the combination of different variety of natural resources 6. The northern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, which are currently experiencing dry conditions were once covered with forest before Russia invaded Afghanistan. This clearly indicates the intentions of most of foreign forces in Afghanistan, apart from bringing peace to the people of Afghanistan; these forces are also involved in the illegal sale of resources. A good example is the export trees such as; almond oak, cedar and pistachio by the Russian forces from Afghanistan. These forest products would provide building materials, firewood, export of forest products and game to Afghans. This is clearly not the case as a result of deforestation caused by foreign forces in the last thirty five years of civil war. Afghans living in these areas are subjected to poverty as a result of depletion of wood resources due to competition from foreign nations and lack of proper afforestation laws. This rate of deforestation has exposed the land to erosion leading to destruction of the landscape and contributes to tensions between communities as they fight for limited resources. Establishment of clear laws to guide in utilization of the forest is needed in Afghanistan if by any chance Afghanistan’s path to prosperity will be enhanced by the forest7. Afghanistan’s economy is expected to be dependent on the large number of mineral deposits after withdraw of international forces in 2014. The extraction sector is believed to contribute a large percentage of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product by 2014. The value of Afghanistan’s untapped mineral wealth is estimated to be one to three trillion dollars. This is after the discovery of oil, copper and gemstone deposits. Like many other developing countries in Asia and Africa such as Kenya and Uganda, discovery of oil has given the people of Afghanistan high hope. Minerals in any developing country can be a double edged sword. Take for example, the case of West African nations; some of these countries have been able to manage these resources effectively reaching greater height in economic development. In contradiction, others have perished in unending civil wars as the fight for these resources continues. A country like Afghanistan does should not exempt itself from challenges arising from the fight over control of minerals. Minerals can be a source of jobs, revenue, and support infrastructure development in Afghanistan or can encourage bad governance, political problems, environmental degradation and corruption8. In a third world nation like Afghanistan, large deposit and availability of natural resources can contribute to a quite a large part of the nation’s wealth if managed appropriately. The government of Afghanistan needs to build good regional and international relationship with other nations. This will enable her to succeed without much critics and resistance especially from the neighbors with whom they share resources like water and oil deposits9. The questions that every Afghan’s citizen ask them is, “will there be profound peace and prosperity in Afghanistan?” These questions are hard to predict the answers given the type of civil wars Afghans have been faced with since its inception in 1790s. The series of wars which are mainly as a result of nations attempt to control the large mineral deposits in Afghanistan has made most of her citizen lose the hope of rebuilding their nation even in the wake of withdrawal of foreign forces by 2014has made most of her citizen to lose the hope of rebuilding their nation even in the wake of withdrawal of foreign forces by 2014. These citizens are faced with the fear of another war occurring immediately the international force withdraws especially after discovery of large oil deposits. Afghanistan government is facing great challenges in improving the economy of a war torn country. After the signing of the constitution in 2003, the five tribes in Afghanistan agreed on a non executive overall king who would serve as a symbol of the nation’s unity10. Afghanistan has a literacy level of 36% and only 12% of her populations have access to sanitation facilities. Very small percentage of Afghanistan’s population accesses clean drinking water and only 40% percent can access health facilities. These percentages are quite disappointing and present great challenge to the young government of Afghanistan. A country like Rwanda in Africa had the same percentages after the end of civil war in 2000 and has managed somehow. This should serve as a good pacesetter to Afghanistan which has the added advantage of mineral wealth as compared to Rwanda. Population globally: produced by UN, retrieved on December, 1, 2013. Mortality rate in Afghanistan is approximately 25 children in every 1000 newborn which is approximately equivalent to that of Congo in Africa. The level of malnutrition is approximately 70% as in Kazakhstan which implies that the government of Afghanistan has a milestone to complete for it to achieve full prosperity and economic growth11. A graph showing the rate of population growth in Afghanistan in comparison with that of Pakistan: produced by W.H.O, retrieved on December, 1, 2013. Conclusion Achieving peace, prosperity and economic growth in Afghanistan is possible but the corporation between different tribes and their leaders need to join hands to build a unified nation. Other nations should also the government of Afghanistan to run its affairs without external pressure. Works Cited Jones, Seth G. "America's War in Afghanistan ." In The Graveyard of Empires, 1 1, 2010: 4. Kapstein, Ethan B. "Measuring Progress in Modern Warfare." Survival , 2012: 54. FAO, UN. "Afganistan Profiles-Horticulture."N.d. UNODC. "Opium Economy In Afghanistan." 2003. Riphenburg, C. "Afghanistan: out of Globalization Mainstream? ." Third World Quarterly, 2006: 27. Read More