Globalization in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s importance with respect to the cultural impact of globalization is increasing as the war in Afghanistan draws down. Afghanistan sits on the edge of the unknown. Once the United States leaves it will be left to create its own destiny. The eyes of the world will be on Afghanistan to see who it allies with, who it trades with and how it conducts itself.

Historically speaking, Afghanistan has modernized only when forced by invaders. The Soviet Union built many roads, schools, power plants and other infrastructure to help its newly installed puppet regime, and facilitate its movement through Afghanistan. The USSR saw Afghanistan as country in the way of its pursuit of a continuous stretch of land to connect it to the Indian Ocean. Alexander the great saw it as an obstacle in his expansion east, and Genghis Khan saw it as an obstacle in his westward expansion.

Afghanistan is like a time capsule. Many people farm for subsistence, and few are able to read or write. Afghans have been compared to Spartans in that they are a martial people who have been at war for thousands of years. The rough terrain in which they live lends itself to long periods of resistance. Time and time again they have been able to push away would be conquerors. The current war in Afghanistan stands in contrast to previous wars because its purpose is not one of conquest for land or for the exploitation of resources. The purpose of the current war in Afghanistan is to win over the Afghan people and to help them grow ideologically to assimilate into an ever more technologically advanced global environment.

Recently Afghanistan has grown significantly in terms of its ability to care for itself. A national army and a developing police force are becomi...

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The Ministery. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation: http://www.motca.gov.af/index.php?id=17

United Nations Development Programme Afghanistan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Environment and Energy for Sustainable Development: http://www.undp.org.af/WhatWeDo/ee.htm

vision. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Ministry of Communications and Technology: http://mcit.gov.af/en/page/3

Lopez, Brendan CDT H-4 ’12. Assistance given to the author, verbal discussion. CDT Lopez edited my paper and gave me feedback on style and format. He recommended that I reword the intent behind the Soviet contributions to Afghan infrastructure. He also recommended that I discuss the lengths that the American government had gone to build cell towers in Afghanistan.