Afghanistan+Today

=Life Style= • Many damaged buildings are not rebuilt causing floors to collapse killing children, teachers, patients and workers. • 39% of the population live in urban areas and 69% in rural areas do not have clean water. • One in eight children dies because of contaminated water. • Life expectancy is 44 years; 53% of the total population lives below the poverty line; the adult literacy rate is 29%; only 3% of women are literate and in some areas less than 1% of the population is literate; one woman dies from pregnancy-related causes every 30 minutes; one out of five children dies before the age of five • Without literacy, education and skills, many have difficulty obtaining work. • The average monthly wage is US$40.00. The average monthly rent is US$200 and the average monthly food/expenses cost is US$200. •3 million refugees have returned from Iran and Pakistan. They live in tents in Kabul and other urban areas. They face unemployment and a lack of education and healthcare facilities.

The Poppy Economy

Many are locked into debt because of opium. They sell or mortgage their land; they sell their household belongings; even their daughters and their sons in order to pay of their opium debt. They are highly dependent on the opium poppy as a means of survival. The consumption is high, ranging from 18 grams per 15 days to 18 grams every day. Older children cannot go to school without a dose of opium. Accidental death from overdose is common among children. Also, opium addiction is often the source of husband-wife conflicts. opium plant

=Goverment= • Currently, Afghanistan's goverment is an Islamic Republic • Afghanistan's constitution separates the government into three main branches; an executive, a legislative, and a judicial much like our goverment. • The constitution also calls for a Grand Assembly or Loya Jirga to take action under certain situations.

The Executive branch
The president serves as the head of the executive branch. He is the head of state and the Command-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan. The executive branch also includes the two Vice Presidents and members of the cabinet. Cabinet Ministers are appointed by the President and approved by the National Assembly. President Hamid karzai

The legislative branch
The legislative branch is the National Assembly or Parliament. it contains of a lower house, the Wolesi Jirga (The house of People), and an upper house, Meshrano Jirga (The House of Elders). Members from the Wolesi Jirga are elected by the people, however, members from the Meshrano Jirga are appointed.



Yunis Qanuni Sibghatullah Mojaddedi Head of the Wolesi Jirga head of the Meshrano Jirga

The Judicial Branch
The judicial branch consists of the supreme court, high courts, and appeal courts. The 9 Members of the supreme court are appointed by the president for a period of 10 years with the aproval of the Wolesi Jirga.

Abdul Salam Azimi Chief justice of Afghanistan;s supreme court

The Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly)
The Loya Jirga consists of; members of the national assembly, chairpersons of the provincial and district councils, The ministers, and members of the supreme court. The Loya Jirga is suppose to take action in the following situations; 1. Take decision on issues related to independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and supreme interests of the country. 2. Amend the constitution 3. Prosecute the president.

=Social Class Structure=

The Bourgeois Class
Industry in Afghanistan is barely above the level of a cottage industry. It has not developed to the level where feudal lords feel obliged to share their land with the industrialists.

The Labor Class
This is a rapidly growing class just beginning to form organizations, parties, and movements. The Soviets capitalized on this new development in Afghan society and engaged the Afghan youth in industry and politics.

The Religious Class
Even though only about 100,000 people fall in this class, this class administered all religious rituals as well as supervised education, the judiciary and health care.

Intellectuals
Intellectuals, like elsewhere in the Islamic world, came from among all social classes. They work in newly civil administration offices dealing with social and economic affairs of the kingdom.

=Works Cited= http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/37.htm http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5380.htm http://www.afghangovernment.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Afghanistan http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Afghanistan/AfghanOverview.html http://www.stateofnature.org/lifeAfghanistan.html http://www.about-afghanistan.com/social-structure-afghanistan-culture.html