Afghanistan+Today

Afghanistan Today

__**Afghanistan's "Objectives"**__
 * Rebuild its bank infrastructure
 * Establish a democracy
 * Create a new image for the country wholly
 * Secure mining industry
 * To deliver sufficient electricity to meet the citizens needs at a rate of at least 9% per year (65% of the urban households/ 25% of the rural households)
 * Complete restoration of the "Ring Road" (links Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat with the northern cities)

__**Afghanistan in the News**__
 * April 3, 2011: 20 dead in Afghan riots over Quran-burning (American pastor Terry Jones)


 * April 3, 2011: Protests in Afghanistan over the burning of the Koran continued. Crowds called for U.S. troops to leave their country and an effigy of President Obama was burned despite the fact that Obama condemned the burning of any holy text.


 * April 3, 2011: In Pakistan, two Taliban suicide bombers caused the death of forty-one members of minority religious groups. One witness stated, "It was like hell."


 * April 4, 2011: Protests erupted in Afghanistan over a Florida pastor’s burning of the Quran. This marked four straight days of protest against the destruction of the Quran.


 * April 4, 2011: Two American troops were killed by an Afghan Border Police officer. The gunman then escaped on foot, running toward the desert.


 * __Afghanistan History (Post-9/11)__**
 * October 2001: Abdul Haq is killed by the Taliban. The United States and UK launch air strikes against the Taliban.


 * July 2002: Haji Abdul Qadir (brother of Abdul Haq) is killed.


 * 2002-2003: War against Al Qaeda (founded by Osama bin Laden) continues. They are gradually weakened.


 * January 2004: Afghanistan adopts a new constitution. The country is now a republic (Islamic Republic) with 3 branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary).


 * 2005: Major advances in the disarmament process announced.

__**Statistics**__
 * Average life expectantcy at birth: 44
 * 1 in 5 children die before the age of 5 (one of the highest mortality rates in the world)
 * Population: 28,150,000
 * GDP (US $): $800
 * Unemployment Rate: 40% (corruption, security, conduct of business, shortage of skilled workers)
 * Sunni Muslims: 80%
 * Shi'a Muslims: 19%
 * 41% of the population that voted during the last election in 2004 were women
 * 85% of Afghans are dependent of agriculture
 * 10,000 schools serving 6.3 million children (36.3% are girls)

__**Quotes from the Novel**__
 * “Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended.” (p. 36)
 * "Hassan protested again. So they took him to the street-" "No. God, no." "-and shot him in the back of the head." (p.219)
 * "The Taliban don't allow them to work." (p.253)
 * "War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace." (p.115)
 * "The blast echoes through the street of my father's house. Hassan slumps to the asphalt, his life of unrequited loyalty drifting from him like the windblown kites he used to chase." (p.219)

__**Discussion Questions for the Class**__
 * With all the changes in mind that Afghanistan has undergone, which change do you think has been and will be the most effective for both the country and the world? Why do you believe this?


 * Are there any examples you can pull from the text of //The Kite Runner// that tell you some specific change (one that we told you about today) is occuring or will occur in the future? If so, where can it be found?


 * If //The Kite Runner// took place in Afghanistan today, would there be any changes in the characters, plot, etc.? Explain your reasoning.

__**Helpful Links**__
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__**References**__

//Afghanistan//. (2011). Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/topics/afghanistan

Hosseini, K. (2003). //The Kite Runner//. New York: Riverhead Books.

Qazi, A. (2005). //Chronological History of Afghanistan//. Retrieved from http://www.afghan-web.com/history/chron/index4.html

UNICEF. (2010). //Afghanistan Statistics//. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_statistics.html

U.S. Department of State. (2011). //Background Note: Afghanistan//. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5380.htm