Afghanistan's Gem Hunters | Afghan Scene Magazine - Asia-Africa ...

sceneAfghan Scene December 2009Afghan Scene December 20092010, Twelve months ago we were told 2009was to be the make-or-break yearfor Afghanistan. Unfortunately it wasmostly break, with an insurgency thatstrengthened in the south, made inroads intothe north and severely tested the resolve ofcountries providing troops and treasure to theNATO-led effort.Add to that the controversy over the painfullylong drawn out election process and theongoing uneasiness about the government’slegitimacy and it is hard not to conclude that2009 has been little short of disastrous.Now we are being told that 2010 will in factbe the crucial year for deciding the fate of theeight year project to turn Afghanistan into astable, democratic state free from the taint ofinternational terrorism.But things are desperate and it isquestionable whether the country will begiven as much has a year to turn the corner.With western politicians nervously eyeingtheir countries’ electoral schedules things haveto start improving very rapidly indeed. Thegovernment has supposedly been given just sixmonths to tackle the challenges of corruptionand poor governance.Much of this will be maddening to manyof Afghan Scene’s readers who know thatlittle can be achieved in any country, let aloneAfghanistan, on such a truncated timetable.Gems and semi-precious stones, for example,could become a cornerstone of the Afghaneconomy, according to development experts(see page 20). But Afghan lapis (not to mentioncarpets, pomegranates and all therest) will notbe taking world markets by storm any time soon.The international community must be patient,and accept that 2011 and the years thereafterwill be just as crucial as 2010.editor@afghanscene.com00Afghan Scene December 2009www.afghanscene.comwww.afghanscene.comAfghan Scene December 20097