Kabul in the 1950s "Mad Men furniture, pencil skirts, record stores and factories"

[C. Flower]

Picked this up from a tweet by Brian Lucey. Personally, I've learned more from it than from the Wikileaks.

Afghanistan was once a rapidly secularising state moving towards a modern economy and democracy. It took a decades-long intervention from western powers to put paid to that.

In Iraq, it was done faster. Now Iran is on the list - and much of Africa.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...sms_ss=twitter

A half-century ago, Afghan women pursued careers in medicine; men and women mingled casually at movie theaters and university campuses in Kabul; factories in the suburbs churned out textiles and other goods. There was a tradition of law and order, and a government capable of undertaking large national infrastructure projects, like building hydropower stations and roads, albeit with outside help. Ordinary people had a sense of hope, a belief that education could open opportunities for all, a conviction that a bright future lay ahead. All that has been destroyed by three decades of war, but it was real.

I have since had the images in that book digitized. Remembering Afghanistan's hopeful past only makes its present misery seem more tragic. Some captions in the book are difficult to read today: "Afghanistan's racial diversity has little meaning except to an ethnologist. Ask any Afghan to identify a neighbor and he calls him only a brother." "Skilled workers like these press operators are building new standards for themselves and their country." "Hundreds of Afghan youngsters take active part in Scout programs." But it is important to know that disorder, terrorism, and violence against schools that educate girls are not inevitable. I want to show Afghanistan's youth of today how their parents and grandparents really lived.

Biology class, Kabul University

[Summerday Sands]

Fascinatinating link & pictures C. Flower. It's become the norm to write the country off as a medieval backwater full of rocks & fanatics. When in reality it's like that due to Western intervention.

Things also improved under the Soviet backed government, the country was poor but much wealthier than today. The main crop in Afghanistan was not Opium instead 26% of land was growing wheat, it was one the biggest producer of raisins. There was an extensive road system that allowed agricultural produce to be taken to market. The main export of Afghanistan in 1979 was natural gas not narcotics. And there were 120000 tourist visitors per year.

In 1979 Afghanistan had a functioning railway network, financed by Iran and with French technical expertise.

Women had full legal equality, where a quarter of the government’s budget was spent on education, and secular schools were opening in every village, for girls and boys. Kabul had a university, and there were schools of medicine, science, pharmacy and engineering.

[C. Flower]

Fascinatinating link & pictures C. Flower. It's become the norm to write the country off as a medieval backwater full of rocks & fanatics. When in reality it's like that due to Western intervention.

Things also improved under the Soviet backed government, the country was poor but much wealthier than today. The main crop in Afghanistan was not Opium instead 26% of land was growing wheat, it was one the biggest producer of raisins. There was an extensive road system that allowed agricultural produce to be taken to market. The main export of Afghanistan in 1979 was natural gas not narcotics. And there were 120000 tourist visitors per year.

In 1979 Afghanistan had a functioning railway network, financed by Iran and with French technical expertise.

Women had full legal equality, where a quarter of the government’s budget was spent on education, and secular schools were opening in every village, for girls and boys. Kabul had a university, and there were schools of medicine, science, pharmacy and engineering.

That would have been the year that Carter started to fund the Mujaheddin to start a war to drive out Soviet influence.

http://www.us-foreign-policy-perspec...dex.php?id=322

[Summerday Sands]

That would have been the year that Carter started to fund the Mujaheddin to start a war to drive out Soviet influence.

http://www.us-foreign-policy-perspec...dex.php?id=322

And those handsome chaps in the pic were Reagans & Thatchers darlings in the '80's

[ModestMouse]

Fascinatinating link & pictures C. Flower. It's become the norm to write the country off as a medieval backwater full of rocks & fanatics. When in reality it's like that due to Western intervention.

Things also improved under the Soviet backed government, the country was poor but much wealthier than today. The main crop in Afghanistan was not Opium instead 26% of land was growing wheat, it was one the biggest producer of raisins. There was an extensive road system that allowed agricultural produce to be taken to market. The main export of Afghanistan in 1979 was natural gas not narcotics. And there were 120000 tourist visitors per year.

In 1979 Afghanistan had a functioning railway network, financed by Iran and with French technical expertise.

Women had full legal equality, where a quarter of the government’s budget was spent on education, and secular schools were opening in every village, for girls and boys. Kabul had a university, and there were schools of medicine, science, pharmacy and engineering.

Another success for American foreign policy and a handy testing ground for the military/industrial complex to boot.

[Lapsedmethodist]

Another success for American foreign policy and a handy testing ground for the military/industrial complex to boot.

Northern warlords had started to fight the Kabul govt long before Carter began to give them aid. It was the warlords success that prompted the Soviet invasion. You have to understand that in 1968/9 when I went through there Herat and Mazar - e - Sherif had only just come under Kaluls authority, and then only a little.

[C. Flower]

Northern warlords had started to fight the Kabul govt long before Carter began to give them aid. It was the warlords success that prompted the Soviet invasion. You have to understand that in 1968/9 when I went through there Herat and Mazar - e - Sherif had only just come under Kaluls authority, and then only a little.

Hmm. There's plenty written about this, so perhaps you'd like to link something. Brzezinksi himeself is pretty clear about the sequence of events and the strategic use of mujaheddin to engage the Russians.

Not unlike the way similar terror/jihadi groups are being used against Iran at the moment. Or in fact against much of Central Asia and Western China.

[Lapsedmethodist]

Hmm. There's plenty written about this, so perhaps you'd like to link something. Brzezinksi himeself is pretty clear about the sequence of events and the strategic use of mujaheddin to engage the Russians.

Not unlike the way similar terror/jihadi groups are being used against Iran at the moment. Or in fact against much of Central Asia and Western China.

I'll look for something, but as you've just posted "the strategic use of mujaheddin to engage the russians" denotes the fact that the Russians had by this time invaded to prop up Kabul against warlord attack.... not mujaheddin. The mujaheddin were a response to the godless Russian army !

[C. Flower]

I'll look for something, but as you've just posted "the strategic use of mujaheddin to engage the russians" denotes the fact that the Russians had by this time invaded to prop up Kabul against warlord attack.... not mujaheddin. The mujaheddin were a response to the godless Russian army !

Are you saying that's what I meant? It was not, I meant that in the sense that it was the intention to draw the Russian military in. If you think it was the case, I expect you will be providing something to show it.

[ModestMouse]

I'll look for something, but as you've just posted "the strategic use of mujaheddin to engage the russians" denotes the fact that the Russians had by this time invaded to prop up Kabul against warlord attack.... not mujaheddin. The mujaheddin were a response to the godless Russian army !

Chicken and egg really. The point I was making was that the American foreign policy of arming terrorists and dissident groups in order to destabalise strategic regions and then invading such regions like some kind of world police force has got to stop.

The Americans are not the world police, in fact their actions amount to state terrorism.

[C. Flower]

"Charlie Wilson's War" is on tonight on RTE1 at 9.30 p.m.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgx5WkwSJzU"]YouTube - Charlie Wilson's War - trailer[/ame]


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/

[Kev Bar]

Fascinatinating link & pictures C. Flower. It's become the norm to write the country off as a medieval backwater full of rocks & fanatics. When in reality it's like that due to Western intervention.

Things also improved under the Soviet backed government, the country was poor but much wealthier than today. The main crop in Afghanistan was not Opium instead 26% of land was growing wheat, it was one the biggest producer of raisins. There was an extensive road system that allowed agricultural produce to be taken to market. The main export of Afghanistan in 1979 was natural gas not narcotics. And there were 120000 tourist visitors per year.

In 1979 Afghanistan had a functioning railway network, financed by Iran and with French technical expertise.

Women had full legal equality, where a quarter of the government’s budget was spent on education, and secular schools were opening in every village, for girls and boys. Kabul had a university, and there were schools of medicine, science, pharmacy and engineering.

Due to Western intervention?????????????????????????????????????? ???????????...Come on you'd have to de indulging in Afghan's cash crop to even start to lay the foundation for that sort of blind idelological insanity that could lead to such an insulting rape of the truth. . <Mod CF>

[Kev Bar]

"Charlie Wilson's War" is on tonight on RTE1 at 9.30 p.m.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/


YouTube - Charlie Wilson's War - trailer


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/

The book requires a little more time but worth it.

[Kev Bar]

I'll look for something, but as you've just posted "the strategic use of mujaheddin to engage the russians" denotes the fact that the Russians had by this time invaded to prop up Kabul against warlord attack.... not mujaheddin. The mujaheddin were a response to the godless Russian army !

Lapsed your truth is wasted on those cemented in ideology.

[Kev Bar]

Fascinatinating link & pictures C. Flower. It's become the norm to write the country off as a medieval backwater full of rocks & fanatics. When in reality it's like that due to Western intervention.

Things also improved under the Soviet backed government, the country was poor but much wealthier than today. The main crop in Afghanistan was not Opium instead 26% of land was growing wheat, it was one the biggest producer of raisins. There was an extensive road system that allowed agricultural produce to be taken to market. The main export of Afghanistan in 1979 was natural gas not narcotics. And there were 120000 tourist visitors per year.

In 1979 Afghanistan had a functioning railway network, financed by Iran and with French technical expertise.

Women had full legal equality, where a quarter of the government’s budget was spent on education, and secular schools were opening in every village, for girls and boys. Kabul had a university, and there were schools of medicine, science, pharmacy and engineering.

The friends of mine who were hanging with the Pashtuns smuggling Afghani Black at the time dont share your recollection of this bright shiny future ...and given that they have tales from far off the beaten track based on many visits, I'll grant them a greater lilklihood of accuracy than a crew of atomised cyber cranks with way too much attititude and way too little experience.

Beware those who have not lived for they are always the truly dangerous ones.