World Perspectives

Taliban Challenge

Analysts are noting that Afghanistan is not the same country today that it was when the Taliban last ruled the nation during 1996 – 2001. Back then there was no electricity, let alone cell phones and televisions. This is even more true when it comes to some of the essentials of life such as access to nutrition, clean water, and basic sanitation. The life of the average Afghan has improved and the test for the Taliban is keeping the citizenry content without the advantage of billions of dollars in aid from the west.  There has been a 60 percent increase in Afghanistan’s gross agricultural production over the past 20- years. Production is likely to slip if the Taliban retains the governance approach it used in the late 1990&...

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