| Confederated Emirates of Afghanistan امارات متحدۀ افغانستان | |
| 2002 – | |
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| Motto "N/A | |
| Anthem "Milli Tharana" | |
| File:Afghanistan (Globe).png The Confederation of Afghanistan as of 2009. | |
| Capital | Kobul |
| Official language | Dari |
| State ideology | Tribal Confederacy |
| Government | Tribal Confederated Republic |
| Head of State - 2004 – |
President Hamid Karzai |
| Area | km² (2010) |
| Population | 75,000,000 (2012) |
| Currency | Afghani (Afs) (AFN) |
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Afghanistan, officially the Confederated Emirates of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and in the far northeast, China. Its territory covers 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi) and much of it is covered by the Hindu Kush mountain range, which experience very cold winters. The north consists of fertile plains, whilst the south-west consists of deserts where temperatures can get very hot in summers. Kabul serves as the capital and its largest city.
US Involvement[]
Following the US invasion and occupation Afghanistan was one of the poorest, most underdeveloped nations on Earth. Fighting still persisted in the country's mountainous north-east until 2007, and green zones were under military rule. The US, fearing a repeat of the Afghan response to the Soviet Invasion during the Cold War, began pumping billions into economic development. Led by former Congressman Charlie Wilson the US aided in providing a "bottom up" development to the Afghan economy; first by providing basic needs, agricultural development, clean water, sewage treatment, healthcare, education, etc. shortly followed with much larger infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, power plants, and a stable electrical grid. The US opened mineral exploration up to companies in the allied forces involved in the war, and transitioned to a public-private development model. The Afghanistan Plan has since become a model for nation building, and is a key component of the Edwards Doctrine.
Economy[]
Afghanistan is classified as a developing nation with close to $1 Trillion in mineral deposits supporting a booming mineral exporting economy. For much of its history Afghanistan was an agrarian society, and before the American invasion its population was dependent on the sale of narcotics (heroin grown from poppies). Since 2004, mining and material exports have become a staple of the country's growing economy. Along with overland trade, construction and development have contributed to the boom in the Afghan economy.
Mining[]
The Brookings Institution estimated that Afghanistan generates about $10 billion per year from its mineral deposits, and is the dominant source of funding for Afghan security forces and the development of infrastructure since 2005. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated in 2003 that northern Afghanistan has an average 2.9 billion (bn) barrels (bbl) of crude oil, 15.7 trillion cubic feet (440 bn m3) of natural gas, and 562 million bbl of natural gas liquids. In 2011, Afghanistan signed an oil exploration contract with National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for the development of three oil fields along the Amu Darya river in the north, and a pipeline that now carries those petroleum supplies to the Persian Gulf.
The country has significant amounts of lithium, copper, gold, coal, iron ore, and other minerals. The Khanashin carbonatite in Helmand Province contains 1,000,000 metric tons (1,100,000 short tons) of rare earth elements, and has been heavily developed by American, Pakistani and Iranian mining concerns. In 2005, a 30-year lease was granted for the Aynak copper mine to the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation for $3 billion. The state-run Steel Authority of India won the mining rights to develop the huge Hajigak iron ore deposit in central Afghanistan. Government officials estimate that 30% of the country's untapped mineral deposits are worth at least $1 trillion. One official asserted that "this has become the backbone of the Afghan economy" and a Pentagon memo in 2004 stated that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium". The Edwards administration limited access to US and European mining concerns during the bidding process, believing that it would be better for regional security if local powers were given a fair chance to profit from Afghanistan's resources.
Internal Organization[]
The Confederation of Afghanistan is divided into a series of territories with a single city state at their core that make up the Republics. These territories each have a seat in the Afghani general assembly, and each votes for a Governor and five Assemblymen.
Republics[]
- Pashtunistan
- South Tajikistan
- Hazrahastan
- South Uzbekistan
- East Turkmenistan
- Pashiastan
- Nuristan
- North Balochistan
International associations[]
Afghanistan is a member of the Central Asian Trade Community, which includes Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The CATC was established to help manage the exportation of natural resources from Afghanistan, but has grown to serve as an apparatus for economic development among the member nations.