Abstract

Afghanistan: The Canny Neutral

The Americans have attempted to counter, and Afghanistan of late years has become a kind of "economic Korea," with the Afghans themselves banking on their traditionally famous powers of bargaining to come out on top--still developing, still neutral and still independent. Both the United States and the Soviet Union began overseas program of economic and military aid to gain friends and to counter each other's moves. Neither succeeded in Afghanistan, so both should realistically look at their accomplishments and failures. Possibly American and Russian aid to the developing nations of the world will continue to create feelings of independence and neutrality, not of dependence and cold-war alliance. Possibly meaningful economic and geographic units will form loose confederations of a common market sort, and become regional, viable economic zones with internal political stability.