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Afghanistan and Khaled Hosseini
Regional Map
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Afghanistan is a landlocked
country, making the export of
goods difficult and expensive.
•
It has rugged mountains and
plains and is prone to natural
disasters such as earthquakes
and drought.
•
Temperatures are extreme, as
hot as 120° F in the summer
and as cold as -15° F in the
winter.
•
There are limited natural fresh
water sources, and most of the
land has been overgrazed and
deforested, causing
desertification and soil
degradation, making farming
difficult.
Data Information
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Capital: Kabul
•
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Area: 251,825 sq mi; slightly smaller than Texas
Population: 31,056,997 (July 2006 estimate)
80% Sunni Muslim, 19% Shia Muslim
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Main ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara,
Uzbek
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GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $800
(2004 estimate)
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Over 80% of labor force is employed in agriculture
(farming, sheep, goats)
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Covered by an estimated 5-7 million landmines
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Leading illicit opium producer in 2005 supplying
89% of the opium produced in the world. 1/3 of the
GDP comes from opium trade
Ethnic Groups Map
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Pashtun: largest ethnic group, mostly farmers and Sunni
Muslims
•
Tajik: live mostly in the northeast, second largest ethnic
group, mostly Sunni Muslims
•
Hazara: live in the Hindu Kush mountains, primarily
Shiite Muslims
•
Uzbek: live mostly along the northern border, mostly
Sunni Muslims
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Aimaqs: a farming and herding tribe in the west, mostly
Sunni Muslims
•
Turkmen and Kirghiz: nomadic herders and craftsmen,
mostly Sunni Muslims
•
Baluch: nomadic tribe living in the southern deserts,
Sunni Muslims
Afghan War 1978-92
• Conflict between anti-Communist Muslim Afghan
guerrillas (mujahidin) and Afghan government
and Soviet forces
• 1978 coup de teat- overthrew Afghan president
Sardar Muhammad Daud Khan
• Kahn had gained power by ousting the king in
1973
• Kahn was assassinated and a pro-Soviet
Communist government under Noor Mohammed
Taraki
Change Again???
• 1979- another coup brought Hafizullah Amin
to power
• This prompted the Soviet forces to invade
December 1979
• Soviets placed Babrak Karmal as president
• Soviet invasion began with 30,000 troops and
escalated to 100,000
• The mujahidin were supported by the United
States, China, and Saudi Arabia
• In order to avoid war with these countries the
money and supplies were funneled though
Pakistan and Iran
• Mujahidin operated fairly freely in the
mountains and pushed the Soviets out
Again???
• 1986- Karmal resigned and Mohammad
Najibullah became leader
• Feb. 1988 Gorbachev announced withdrawl
of USSR
• Soviets loss patience with the war due to high
casualties and lack of success
• 1992- Najibullah’s government collapsed and
14 years of the People’s Democratic party fell
to the mujahidin under Ahmed Shah Massoud
Facts after the War
• Country was left with severe political,
economic, and ecological problems
• 1 million Afghans died
• 5 million Afghans became refugees in
neighboring countries
• 15,000 Soviet soldiers were killed and 37,000
wounded
• Due to the tribes unable to unite the Taliban
was able to take control later in the decade
• After the Soviets pulled out post-government
was not set up and caused the Interim Islamic
Government of Afghanistan was established in
exile
• This caused many groups including refugees
and Shiite to be excluded – This gov. never
acted as a functional government
• The prolonged conflict caused the nation to be
ranked 170 out of 174 nations as the poorest
• US interests halted after USSR left the country
• US did not help in reconstruction of
Afghanistan and handed over the interests of
the country to its allies Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan
• Pakistan took relations with warlords and later
the Taliban to insure trade interests and routs
• Due to all but 2% of the forest cover being
destroyed the country may never recover
• Country is one of the world’s major suppliers of
opium
• “Children born in Afghanistan at the start of the
war… have been brought up in war conditions,
this is their way of life.”
– Captain Tarlan Eyvazov
Later this was proven true when the Taliban gained
power by Afghan refugees and orphans
Khaled Hosseini
• 1965- Kabul, Afghanistan
• Father was a diplomat and mother taught
Farsi and History at a large high school until
1970
• Hosseini was in the 4th grade when the Afghan
King was overthrown in a bloodless coup
• 1976 the family had been relocated to Paris
• 1980- after a bloody communist coup they
were granted political asylum in the US
• September 1980- family moved to San Jose, CA
• Lived on welfare and food stamps for a short time as all
property was lost in Afghanistan
• Father worked multiple jobs to get family independent
• Graduated from high school in 1984
• Santa Clara University- bachelor's degree Biology 1988
• University of California- San Diego’s School of
Medicine- 1993
• Residency at Cedar’s Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and
began practicing internal medicine in 1996
• First love has always been writing
• Good memories of peaceful pre-Soviet era
Afghanistan and of his personal experiences
with Afghan Hazaras