Sunday, February 14, 2016

Development and Economy

Lessons Learned - Stability Opns in Afghanistan. Charles Barham, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, continued service to his country by working as a civilian in the Af/Pak Hands Program. He concentrated on development and stability issues and offers his observations in "Stability Operations: Lessons from Afghanistan"Small Wars Journal, February 11, 2016.

Riving the Economy. William Byrd says that ". . . reviving the Afghan economy during a time of intensifying violent conflict, declining external financial aid, and ongoing political uncertainty and dysfunction will be extremely challenging." His report proposes some targeted, near-term measures to increase confidence and stimulate the economy. Read What Can Be Done to Revive Afghanistan's Economy?, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), February 9, 2016.

IMF Report on Afghanistan. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a report (Feb 11, 2016) entitled Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: Ex Post Assessment of Longer-Term Program Engagement.

Paper - Economy, Education & Health. The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) has published a 93-page paper entitled The Political Economy of Education and Health Service Delivery, dated January 2016.

Way Forward for Economy. The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) says that unemployment and lack of economic opportunity are frequently cited by Afghan citizens as a number one problem in Afghanistan. CIPE has launched local economic programs that will be of benefit to several provinces by encouraging economic growth. Read about the Provincial Business Agendas (PBAs) established by CIPE in "A Way Forward for Afghanistan's Economy", CIPE Development Blog, February 8, 2016.

Cities are the Future. According to one report Afghanistan's future is urban with its cities population doubling in the next 15 years. Read State of Afghan Cities Report 2015, by UN Habitat, Feb 2016.

Silk Road, Development, and Afghanistan. China has some long-range and robust plans for its "Silk Road". Plans (including a maritime component) are to link existing and future rail and road links from China through Central Asia to the Middle East and Europe. For this to happen the region must see a level of security and stability (Afghanistan stands out here). Read more in "China's Silk Road: How China is Building the Biggest Commercial-Military Empire in History", Offiziere.ch, February 2, 2016.

Foreign Investment Drops. The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said that there is danger of an economic recession if the government does not take steps to tackle the decline in foreign investment in the country. Read "Afghan Economy Trembles Amid Foreign Investment Decline: ACCI"Tolo News, February 12, 2016.

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