Abstract
In 2009 American tax payers spent US$200 billion to defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaida in Afghanistan. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferation (2010) the US accounts for 47 % of the world’s military spending totaling $965 billion per year. Given this type of investment, we wonder if the US can succeed because while the population continues to grow, few infrastructures are available to sustain the population. This paper addresses demographic characteristics and patterns that pose significant challenges to security and development in Afghanistan. We suggest that the development projects introduced by the U.S. as part of the overall strategy for defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan are more likely to succeed if investments in supporting women are not increased, to include health care, reproductive health and both academic and vocational training. Our suggestion is based on Afghanistan’s population growth, which we argue fosters a demographic pattern that feeds the Taliban insurgency and, as such, serves to diminish the possibility of country and regional stability.
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Notes
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In a December 2009 briefing Major General Mike Flynn, Senior Intelligence Officer for ISAF, said “The solution, therefore, is about securing the Afghan population, enabling good governance by the GIRoA, and supporting development projects that can provide sustainable jobs and a healthy economy.” “State of the Insurgency Trends, Intentions and Objectives’ Michael Flynn, Director of Intelligence, International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan, U.S. Forces, Afghanistan.
AS OF: 22 DEC, 2009.
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El-Badry, S., Swanson, D.A. (2015). An Exploratory Examination of Population and Stability in Afghanistan. In: Sáenz, R., Embrick, D., Rodríguez, N. (eds) The International Handbook of the Demography of Race and Ethnicity. International Handbooks of Population, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8891-8_15
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