Poll: Afghans Optimistic About Recovery

[charrison]

linkage

- Two-thirds of Afghans say they are optimistic about the future but remain worried about insecurity and the ravaged economy, according to a survey released Tuesday.

A majority also approved of interim leader Hamid Karzai, the favorite in landmark presidential elections set for Oct. 9, according to a poll that claims it is the most extensive yet on Afghan public opinion.

Of those questioned, only 13 percent favored the ousted Taliban regime, saying they favored governance of the United Nations. Two-thirds approved of the United States involvement which ousted the repressive Islamic militia in late 2001.

The survey, commissioned by the Asia Foundation, a U.S.-based nongovernment group that seeks to foster development in the Asia-Pacific region, drew on interviews with 804 rural and urban Afghans from Feb. 22 to March 13 this year. The margin of error was 3.5 percentage points.

 

[conjur]

Pollsters didn't reach four of 34 provinces, including the Taliban stronghold of Uruzgan, because of poor security or lack of access. Voters might be less positive there. It was unclear how the survey overcame many Afghans' deep reluctance to criticize authorities...

...Security was listed as the greatest "national" concern by 37 percent of respondents, ahead of the economy, at 29 percent.

But both the economy and the country's dilapidated or nonexistent infrastructure were seen as the greatest "local" problems.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: conjur

Pollsters didn't reach four of 34 provinces, including the Taliban stronghold of Uruzgan, because of poor security or lack of access. Voters might be less positive there. It was unclear how the survey overcame many Afghans' deep reluctance to criticize authorities...

...Security was listed as the greatest "national" concern by 37 percent of respondents, ahead of the economy, at 29 percent.

But both the economy and the country's dilapidated or nonexistent infrastructure were seen as the greatest "local" problems.

Yes there is still much work to do there.

 

[conjur]

Quite.

Too bad Bush put it on the backburner and has forced Pres. Karzai to practically beg for help.

But, Saddam being that immediate and urgent threat that he was....

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: conjur
Quite.

Too bad Bush put it on the backburner and has forced Pres. Karzai to practically beg for help.

But, Saddam being that immediate and urgent threat that he was....

Also quite the shame that many of the countries that pledged assitance have yet to give it.

 

[conjur]

Such as?

I'd be interested to know what other countries have promised aid and how much.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: conjur
Such as?

I'd be interested to know what other countries have promised aid and how much.

linkage
This is a bit stale and nonspecefic, but cant seem to find anything more recent..

Adding to reconstruction challenges: Just 40% of the $5.2 billion in aid pledged to Afghanistan in January 2002 has been released. The funding delays have put reconstruction efforts ranging from school construction to water purification on hold. A quarter of that money has been diverted from long-term reconstruction to short-term emergency needs, such as food.

 

[happyhelper]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: conjur
Quite.

Too bad Bush put it on the backburner and has forced Pres. Karzai to practically beg for help.

But, Saddam being that immediate and urgent threat that he was....

Also quite the shame that many of the countries that pledged assitance have yet to give it.

What could or would motivate any country to give the US anything after the shlt we've pulled?

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: happyhelper

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: conjur
Quite.

Too bad Bush put it on the backburner and has forced Pres. Karzai to practically beg for help.

But, Saddam being that immediate and urgent threat that he was....

Also quite the shame that many of the countries that pledged assitance have yet to give it.

What could or would motivate any country to give the US anything after the shlt we've pulled?

how is helping afghanistan giving the US anything?

 

[conjur]

Heck...40% has been released? How long was that $5.2 billion supposed to last when first budgeted? I'm guessing more than 2 years.

 

[happyhelper]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: happyhelper

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: conjur
Quite.

Too bad Bush put it on the backburner and has forced Pres. Karzai to practically beg for help.

But, Saddam being that immediate and urgent threat that he was....

Also quite the shame that many of the countries that pledged assitance have yet to give it.

What could or would motivate any country to give the US anything after the shlt we've pulled?

how is helping afghanistan giving the US anything?

from your article:

Other signs of trouble:

? Opium production is soaring. A U.N. report said poppies, used to make opium and heroin, are being grown on 197,000 acres across 28 of the country's 32 provinces.

At least there is some good news! At least the peasants can eat, assuming the druglords still come around to buy their stuff. And at least the rich kids of the West won't get depressed.



As for how is helping Afghanistan giving the US anything?

Who controls Afghanistan and will control it for the foreseeable future? The US.

Who's companies will be all over Afghanistan within the next decade? The US'.

Thus "giving money" to Afghanistan = giving money to whoever controls Aftghanistan = The US.
Need I remind you of Bush Lie #1,053,672 - We're not nation-building. LOL
Need I remind you that Bush pissed off the entire international community?



That poll doesn't seem very valuable, kinda like asking a child who had extremely abusive cult-member parents if he likes his new foster parents - as if he's going to say he doesn't like them directly to them. And a third did have the balls to say they didn't "approve" of the new regime. Makes you wonder how most of them really feel.

 

[Kibbo]

There are areas of Afghanistan the allied forces won't enter 'cause it would spark conflict with the local war lords. Did the pollsters canvas those neighbourhoods?

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: Kibbo
There are areas of Afghanistan the allied forces won't enter 'cause it would spark conflict with the local war lords. Did the pollsters canvas those neighbourhoods?

Doesn't look like it. The article says:

Pollsters didn't reach four of 34 provinces, including the Taliban stronghold of Uruzgan, because of poor security or lack of access. Voters might be less positive there.

 

[Kibbo]

"Voters might be less positive there"

That was the funniest thing I've read all day.

 

[villager]

Originally posted by: conjur
Quite.

Too bad Bush put it on the backburner and has forced Pres. Karzai to practically beg for help.

But, Saddam being that immediate and urgent threat that he was....

What amazes me was the all the rhetoric about the drug war before Bush and now that we occupy a country that has become the world's main supplier of opium, the drug war is practically forgotten in Washington. Every year more and more opium is grown and in more areas. This is, except for not capturing Osama bin Forgotten, the biggest failure in Afganistan.