The Afghan Economy During the Soviet War

About the Book

This book is about the period before the Russian-led Soviet invasion and the consequences and conditions that followed the devastating decade-long war. These consequences from a savage war have been forgotten and ignored since individual and institutional discussions have been about the present US-led war since 2001. Little academic and independent scholarly work has appeared on the Afghan economy since the 1970s. An understanding of what happened in Afghanistan during the first invasion and war is important in its own historical setting and as a background for the prevailing conditions at the present. Chapters 5–10 are about these topic areas, and the appendix summarizes the results of the studies and provides an overall assessment of the harm done to Afghanistan and the Afghan economy by the Russian-led Soviet invasion, occupation, and war.

About the Author

M. Siddieq Noorzoy, PhD, is professor of economics, Emeritus Department of Economics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has also taught at the University of Washington, California State University at San Louis Obispo, and NPGS, Monterey, and has been visiting scholar and research associate at the Middle East Studies Center, University of California, Berkeley, and research associate at the Hoover Institutions, Stanford University. As a graduate student, also did research work at the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. Dr. Noorzoy has published in a number of areas in professional journals on the US and Canadian economies, on Islamic economics, and his writings on the Afghan economy and Afghanistan have also appeared in book chapters. His writing on the Islamic theory of interest (riba) has been received as a working model and has appeared in three books during 1982-2014. Professor Noorzoy is the author and editor of the documentary book, Campaigns by the Afghan Diaspora on Behalf of Afghanistan 1979–2015, covering the history of two invasions, wars, and survival of Afghanistan. A copy of the book ( manuscript) is available at the Arthur Paul Collection on Afghanistan Library at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His most recent work on the Afghan economy is posted on www.globalresearch.org, under the title of “Afghanistan's Wartime Economy (2001–2014),” July 24, 2014. He also is heading the Peace and Reform Movement for Afghanistan established in 2010 supported by Afghans in many countries, posted on the same web site under the title of “A Proposal for Peace in Afghanistan,” November 16, 2013. Dr. Noorzoy continues to encourage research on Afghanistan and on the Afghan economy as the Director of Afghan Research Society International with website www.Afghanresearchsociety.org.