Overview
Its strategic position sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent along the ancient “Silk Route” means that Afghanistan has long been fought over – despite its rugged and forbidding terrain. It was at the centre of the so-called “Great Game” in the 19th century when Imperial Russia and the British Empire in India vied for influence.
AT A GLANCE
Nato
leads the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), a
peacekeeping body Attacks by the Taleban continue, particularly in the
south Incumbent leader Hamid Karzai won presidential elections in
October 2004 Parliament was inaugurated in December 2005
And it became a key Cold War battleground
after thousands of Soviet troops intervened in 1979 to prop up a
pro-communist regime, leading to a major confrontation that drew in the
US and Afghanistan’s neighbours. But the outside world eventually lost
interest after the withdrawal of Soviet forces, while the country’s
protracted civil war dragged on. The emergence of the Taleban –
originally a group of Islamic scholars – brought at least a measure of
stability after nearly two decades of conflict. But their extreme
version of Islam attracted widespread criticism. The Taleban – drawn
from the Pashtun majority – were opposed by an alliance of factions
drawn mainly from Afghanistan’s minority communities and based in the
north.
Social, political systems as well as infrastructure must be rebuilt
In control of about 90% of Afghanistan
until late 2001, the Taleban were recognised as the legitimate
government by only three countries. They were at loggerheads with the
international community over the presence on their soil of Osama bin
Laden, accused by the US of masterminding the bombing of their embassies
in Africa in 1998 and the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001.
After the Taleban’s refusal to hand over bin Laden, the US initiated
aerial attacks in October, paving the way for opposition groups to drive
them from power. Infighting between local commanders over power and
territory became a feature of the post-Taleban period. The authorities
in Kabul have been able to exert little control beyond the capital and
militant violence has continued. Afghanistan’s drugs industry makes up
around 60% of the economy. The trade has boomed since the fall of the
Taleban and the country supplies 93% of the world’s opium, the raw
ingredient of heroin. International bodies and governments say the
drugs trade is helping to fuel the Taleban insurgency, which is
estimated to receive up to US$100m a year from the trade. The UN Office
on Drugs and Crime has called on Afghanistan to target the major
traffickers and corrupt government officials, who it says operate with
impunity in the country.
Facts
- Full name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
- Population: 27.1 million (UN, 2007)
- Capital and largest city: Kabul
- Area: 652,225 sq km (251,773 sq miles)
- Major languages: Pashto, Dari (Persian)
- Major religion: Islam
- Life expectancy: 44 years (men), 44 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 Afghani = 100 puls
- Main exports: Fruit and nuts, carpets, wool, opium
- GNI per capita: n/a
- Internet domain: .af
- International dialling code: +93
Leaders
President: Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, who headed the provisional administration set up when the
Taleban were driven from power, won a five-year term in Afghanistan’s
first direct presidential elections in October 2004.
Hamid Karzai won a five-year mandate in
October 2004 He gained 55.4% of the vote. Officials said voting
irregularities were not enough to affect the outcome of the poll. The
president faces the challenges of forging national unity, disarming
regional militias and tackling drug production. Mr Karzai, a Pashtun
leader, is an effective player on the world stage and enjoys strong
backing from the US. In 2002 he persuaded international donors to pledge
$4bn to help rebuild his country. Born in the southern Afghan town of
Kandahar in 1957, Hamid Karzai studied in India and France. Exiled in
Pakistan for much of the Soviet occupation and during Taleban rule, he
was chosen as post-Taleban Afghanistan’s interim leader in late 2001.
Afghanistan’s constitution, which was adopted in 2004 by an assembly of
tribal representatives, envisages a powerful presidency and defines
Afghanistan as an Islamic republic, where men and women enjoy equal
status before the law. Parliamentary and provincial elections were held
in September 2005 and a new Afghan parliament held its inaugural
session in December.
Media
The growth in the number of media outlets – private TV stations in particular – has characterised the post-Taleban media scene.
Media outlets have flourished in the post-Taleban years
There are scores of radio stations, dozens
of TV stations and some 100 active press titles, operating under a wide
range of ownerships – from the government, provincial
political-military powers and private owners to foreign and NGO
sponsors. The main private TV and radio networks command large
audiences. An Australian-Afghan media group, Moby Capital Partners,
operates some of the leading stations, including Tolo TV and Arman FM.
Much of the output on private TV stations consists of imported Indian
music shows and serials, and programmes modelled on Western formats. The
channels are very popular in urban centres, especially among the under
30s. However, media laws prohibit material that is deemed to run
counter to Islamic law and some private stations have drawn the ire of
conservative religious elements. Press freedom group Reporters Without
Borders says media regulatory bodies are “under the government’s thumb”.
Relays of foreign radio stations or stations funded from overseas are
on the air in Kabul, including the BBC, Radio France Internationale,
Deutsche Welle and US-funded broadcasts from Radio Free Afghanistan,
which uses the name Azadi Radio, and the Voice of America, which brands
its Dari and Pashto broadcasts as Radio Ashna (“Friend”). BBC World
Service is also available on FM and mediumwave (AM) in other parts of
Afghanistan. Newspaper readership has seen a significant leap, from
almost nil under Taleban rule. Newspapers tend to reflect more openly on
domestic developments than do broadcasters. Internet access is scarce
and computer literacy and ownership rates are minuscule. Afghanistan’s
media were seriously restricted under Taleban rule. Radio Afghanistan
was renamed Radio Voice of Shariah and reflected the Islamic
fundamentalist values of the Taleban. TV was seen as a source of moral
corruption and was banned. The press
- Hewad (“Homeland”) – government-sponsored daily
- Anis (“Companion”) – government-sponsored daily
- Kabul Times – state-run daily, English-language pages
- The Daily Afghanistan – private
- Daily Outlook – private, English-language
- Kabul Weekly – private, English-language pages
- Payam-e Mojahed (“Voice of Mojahed”) – Northern Alliance weekly
- Radio Afghanistan – run by state broadcaster National Radio-TV Afghanistan (NRTA)
- Arman FM – Afghanistan’s first private radio station, on FM in Kabul and other cities
- Ariana Radio – private network, on FM in Kabul and across many provinces
- National Television Afghanistan – run by state broadcaster (NRTA), via terrestrial relays and satellite
- Tolo TV – leading private network, via provincial relays and satellite; initially supported by US development agency USAID but now says it is self-financing
- Lemar TV – private, Pashto-language sister station of Tolo TV
- Aina TV – private, broadcasts to major Afghan cities terrestrially and to Central Asia and Europe via satellite
- Ariana TV – private, broadcasts terrestrially in many provinces and via satellite to Asia, Europe and North America
- Bakhtar News Agency – state-run
- Pajhwok Afghan News – private
- Afghan Islamic Press – private, based in Peshawar, Pakistan