Afghanistan and Rwanda: Economic and Social Development Compared

Introduction: Least Developed Countries Defined

Since the advent of modern foreign policy, officials have used a variety of terms to refer to countries that appear stunted in their growth. The term third world was first used during the Cold War era of bipolarity, but continues to be applied today to denote countries considered underdeveloped. The term developing is also frequently used as a more politically correct designation for those countries that have not yet reached the standards of the developed world. Finally, the term least developed countries (LDCs) was coined by the United Nations to identify the least developed among developing nations. Numbering fifty countries in all, LDCs are located across several continents and include a disproportionate number of island nations ("List of Least Developed Countries" n.d.).

The subject of this paper is two of these states: Afghanistan in the Middle East and Rwanda in Africa. Both countries share a great deal in common — each has engaged in civil conflict within recent decades, each has received interventions from Western organizations, and each has felt the bitter aftermath of war. By first examining the criteria for developing countries, then comparing Afghanistan and Rwanda in terms of economic and social development, this paper aims to achieve a better understanding of what constitutes a developing country.

Criteria for Developing Countries

Almost every country can, in some way, be considered developing. One country's media may be deficient, while another struggles with a low literacy rate. Countries formally designated as developing, however, are considered such because they can be described as underdeveloped in key areas. In order to qualify as a developing state, a country must fulfill several requirements ranging from economic and political development to social and literacy development. The United Nations lists the following criteria for its LDCs:

Economic underdevelopment: LDCs must have a low income, defined as under $700 gross national income per capita.

Human resources underdevelopment: This is defined as a low Human Assets Index based on nutrition, health, education, and adult literacy.

Economic vulnerability: This criterion, which consists of a country's ability to produce income based on natural resources and resourcefulness, is related to the first but measures the country's potential rather than its current results (United Nations 2003).

In order to qualify as an LDC, a state must meet all of these criteria, according to the United Nations. Separate criteria are required for a state to "graduate" from LDC status. Although the United Nations must apply specific criteria to designate LDCs, underdevelopment can encompass many more variables. For instance, Chaliand (n.d.) suggests that "poverty, high birthrates, and economic dependence on the advanced countries" (para. 1) are characteristic of developing nations. Chaliand further expounds that many third world countries have economies based on producing goods and services for developed countries, and whose vast majorities live in deep poverty. Many of these countries are also characterized by an extreme disparity in lifestyle between the very rich and the very poor.

Politically, these third world countries must often deal with the repercussions of colonialism or other forms of "conquest or indirect domination" by the West (Chaliand n.d.). Socially, they frequently lack the infrastructure to make services available to those who need them. Education and literacy are often low, and communities may also remain uninformed about progressive reforms concerning equality for men and women, ethnic groups, and human rights. Other characteristics of underdevelopment frequently center on the political system and the effectiveness of government. Although a detailed examination of each of these characteristics would be valuable, this paper focuses on two major areas — economic and social development — defined as follows:

Economic Development: Countries will be considered developing based on both the status of their current economies and their potential opportunities for growth. Countries unable to sustain their populations, dependent on foreign aid, with low potential for growth, and with high rates of poverty will be considered underdeveloped.

Social Development: Countries that lack adequate resources for citizens in the areas of healthcare and education will be considered socially underdeveloped.

Economic Development in Afghanistan and Rwanda

Both Afghanistan and Rwanda, survivors of wars that tore their countries apart, show clear signs of poverty and economic need at both the national and per capita levels. According to Afghan Finance Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, Afghanistan still faces "huge economic development challenges" (Bruno para. 1).

Although Afghanistan's growth rate of 13.5% showed promise, two major areas of concern can be identified in its economic development: the involvement of foreign powers in the country's economy and an agriculture-based economic structure. These two characteristics limit the potential of Afghanistan's economic growth. Ahadi noted each in a recent interview, stating that Afghanistan is "totally dependent on foreign assistance as far as the development budget is concerned" (Bruno para. 10). Furthermore, the finance minister stated that many of the donations Afghanistan has been receiving for reconstruction are not accessible by the national government, which he argued could use them more effectively. Afghanistan is, in many ways, at the mercy of other states in terms of its economy — the country not only relies on economic assistance but also allows foreign governments to control how spending is conducted within its borders. In terms of economic development, this suggests that the country remains largely dependent, despite evidence of growth. Ahadi acknowledged this was unlikely to change soon, stating that he hoped Afghanistan could "generate enough domestic revenues to pay for [its] recurrent expenses" within four or five years, while admitting that financing developmental assistance alone would take even longer (Bruno para. 11).

Afghanistan's economic potential also suffers because of its reliance on agriculture as a primary revenue generator. Ahadi stated that the agricultural sector is highly dependent on weather conditions — when conditions are not optimal, crops perform poorly. As this is an uncontrollable variable, it does not bode well for Afghanistan's economic stability (Bruno para. 3). In addition, much of Afghan agricultural produce consists of narcotics, and the country faces significant international pressure to phase out these crops. The Taliban, a terrorist organization with a stake in continued narcotics production, further complicates matters (Bruno paras. 4–6). With approximately 40% of the population unemployed and around five million living below the poverty line, some Afghans join the Taliban simply to escape economic desperation ("Poverty, Unemployment"). Thus, Afghanistan must not only replace narcotic crops with viable alternatives but do so while a well-resourced extremist organization actively works to undermine such efforts.

Afghanistan can therefore be described as an economically underdeveloped or developing state for two interconnected reasons. First, its present economy is characterized by a heavy reliance on foreign aid, indicating that the country lacks sufficient capacity to meet its own needs. Second, the fact that foreign agencies oversee the disbursement of much of this aid suggests that Afghanistan has not yet developed the institutional capacity to manage its own resources. Its economic future is similarly constrained: a farming economy vulnerable to weather, a reliance on narcotics production under international pressure to cease, and a Taliban movement bent on thwarting reform all point to a long road ahead before Afghanistan can claim economic development.

Much like Afghanistan, Rwanda's current economic difficulties are rooted in war. In 1994, one of the most devastating genocides in recent history tore Rwanda apart, "devastating the Rwandan economy and destroying much of the infrastructure," while also decimating "the human resource base, in particular, of trained personnel" (Murenzi). Like Afghanistan, Rwanda's current and prospective economies remain far from developed. Most Rwandans live on less than $1 a day — the national poverty line — resulting in a per capita income of approximately $260 (Murenzi). Like Afghanistan's economy, Rwanda's is similarly founded on agriculture, making it vulnerable to weather fluctuations. In 2004, for example, bad weather threatened the country's already fragile economic conditions (USAID). Murenzi describes Rwanda's current economic situation as one in which the country cannot "meet food and nutrition needs of the population at large," has exhausted its land, lacks sufficient product diversification, cannot stimulate its own economy due to a shortage of capital — particularly among subsistence farmers — and has too weak an infrastructure to support "low value, bulk commodities." High population density, substantial debt, and a significant dependence on foreign aid further complicate the crisis (USAID).

Despite these challenges, Rwanda's future economic prospects are aided by several key factors: a broad desire for self-sufficiency, an emphasis on technology as a vehicle for development, and a substantial number of external contributors willing to assist. Unlike Afghanistan, where the Taliban actively inhibit economic growth, Rwandans actively welcome it. In 2004, Rwanda joined the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa and accepted a peer review of governance under the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Union (USAID). Across the country, women have become integral to boosting the economy, taking out microloans and starting small businesses that support their families — and their country. These women, many working for the first time, have helped to "fight the cycle of poverty" through their own determination (Fiola A01).

Rwanda has also distinguished itself from Afghanistan by harnessing technology as a development strategy, establishing a Ministry in Charge of Science, Technology, and Scientific Research in 2006. The ministry adopted ambitious goals including developing legal standards for scientific advancement, establishing a fund for scientific research, and building research facilities (Murenzi). NGOs, the World Bank, and other contributors have expressed interest in supporting these efforts.

Despite these positive trends, Rwanda still faces significant obstacles. An agriculturally based economy remains the foundation of daily life, and the scars of genocide have not fully healed — violence still periodically erupts, creating instability. Rwanda's dependence on foreign aid to launch effective programs also makes self-sufficiency a difficult achievement. When assessed in terms of present and potential economies, both Afghanistan and Rwanda can be classified as developing: both experience severe current economic hardship and face significant barriers to future growth. While Rwanda's economy may be somewhat better positioned to develop than Afghanistan's, both remain underdeveloped.

Conclusion

While many terms have been used to denote countries in need of development, the term least developed country was created by the United Nations to signify the least developed among the underdeveloped. Both Afghanistan and Rwanda appear on this list. Although many characteristics mark states as developing or developed, this paper focused on two dimensions aligned with UN requirements for LDC classification — economic and social development. Within these topics, it becomes clear that humanitarian development, equality, and political development are all woven together in any conception of the fully developed nation. Both Afghanistan and Rwanda have long roads ahead before achieving that status.

While these countries show different levels of progress within different subtopics, both are characterized by a mixture of successes and failures, as well as a fundamental desire to improve. After comparing these nations, it becomes clear that developing countries are not simply countries with a few easily defined problems; rather, they face barriers stretching back decades and centuries that inhibit growth. Still, with determination, investment in technology, and sustained foreign assistance, this comparison also demonstrates that there is genuine hope for the future of both nations.

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