"Craftsmen finally see upswing in Afghanistan after civil war, turmoil" by Pamela Constable, Washington Post | April 12, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan - .... Like thousands of other craftsmen and small business owners here, Zabiullah, 42, is just beginning to make ends meet after a 20-year ordeal that included a flight from civil war, a decade in exile, and a postwar homecoming to a flood of cheap foreign imports that nearly drove him into bankruptcy.
Now, as the fight between Taliban insurgents and Afghan and international forces enters its eighth year, he worries that deepening insecurity will shut down the economy, bring investment to a halt, and destroy his dream of producing sturdy Afghan shoes once again.
Statistically, Afghanistan is on a slow but steady economic upswing. Since the overthrow of Taliban rule and the establishment of a Western-backed government in 2002, the growth rate has averaged 9 percent a year. Inflation has fallen from 24 percent to 7 percent, the currency is stable, and the annual per capita income has risen from $186 to $400.
But according to studies by the United Nations, the World Bank, and others, much of that growth is deceptive.
Oh, much like the MSM news reports I receive here in AmeriKa!!!!
It includes substantial income from foreign aid, opium poppy cultivation, a construction boom in a few cities, and cottage services such as restaurants that cater to international workers and a small, local business elite.
In contrast, there has been very little private investment, especially in industries that were modernized under Soviet-backed rule in the 1980s but then destroyed during years of fighting. Today, the country depends heavily on imports, mostly from Pakistan. In 2006, it imported $3.6 billion in goods but exported only $274 million....
--more--"But the TONE and HEADLINE of the article are EVERYTHING'S LOOKING UP!!!!
Tired of the LYING DISTORTIONS and DECEPTIONS like me, readers?
