Another hypothetical “what if” regarding Afghanistan.
Assume that the Taliban is wiped out of power, and the slate in Afghanistan is essentially clean. You’re given the task of creating a plan that not only establishes a stable government, but also charts the way to Afghanistan becoming a first world level economy within 25 years.
So, how would you pull it off? I don’t know about the government, but I’d put a lot of foreign aid into the following:
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Education - required until age 16, for both men and women. Goal – 95% literacy by 2025.
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Roads - Afghanistan isn’t that big. Ensure that every settlement with a population of over 1,000 is conencted by an all weather road, built to at least North American standards. Petrol taxes will pay for maintenance and expansion. Create a modern day "Silk Route.
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Information – Instead of having every child in the US donate a dollar for Afghani children, have corporations donate all their used computers. Instead of throwing perfectly good Pentium 100s in the landfill, send 'em to Afghanistan. Create a wireless voice/data network, and try to get the country connected.
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Agriculture – Afghanistan has little ariable land, but lots of snowy mountains. How is the snowmelt used? Set up a Colorado-style irrigation system throughout the country, where snow melt is drained to reservoirs. Rebuilt destroyed qanats.
