Astonishing Pictures Of Afghanistan From Before The Wars

Just wow...

I truly feel for the people of Afghanistan. Their country has been absolutely obliterated..

A man in the 1960s left his job and home in Arizona and left to work in Kabul. He took his daughters and wife with him. Whilst he was there he took photos. And the contrast from then and now is astonishing.. But not in a good way.

Before the U.S. invasion, before the Russian war, before the Marxist revolution, Afghanistan used to be a pretty nice place.

Amateur photographer, and college professor, Dr. William Podlich took a leave of absence from his job at Arizona State to work with UNESCO in Kabul, bringing his wife and daughters with him.

On the left is a picture showing the photographer's daughter in a pleasant park. On the right is that same park 40 years later.


Girls and boys in western style universities and schools were encouraged to talk to each other freely.


Kids grew up in a safe environment, unafraid of extremist influence.


Elementary education, even out in the rural areas, was standard. Kids and citizens alike felt opportunity hinged on education.


Women weren't required to wear burqas, but some would still cover up by choice.


While urban Afghanistan became modern, rural Afghanistan contained these quaint scenes.


Afghanistan had a national identity, and national style, despite all the 'western' influence.


www.businessinsider.com...
please visit the link for the full read and photos its worth it

Maybe one day Afghanistan can return to the way it was.. But for whatever reason I cannot see that happening in the near future..

Enjoy the photos peeps

peace
fluffx

I think a country reaches a point of loss to civilization and basic civil structure that it simply may never fully come back from. Never in the time of our lifetimes, anyway. I think it comes about the time the sense of even recalling what true civil order was is forgotten.

For those poor folks, their war began in 1979 and it simply never ended. The guys shooting and which direction they fired has changed....but to the average goat herder in a rural area, what else has truly changed?

Oh yeah... They are Apache Gunships now, not Hind Gunships flying over and buzzing around. Even that probably isn't that large a change to the average guy in the countryside.

It is a sad thing to consider. Never even knowing peace as a concept, let alone a reality.

To me the photos of early Afghanistan show the gradual westernization of that country. Now it looks more like the way the Taliban would want it.

I've always been of the opinion that the actual situation in countries like Afghanistan, Iran etc are a product of continuous experiments conducted by some western countries like France, England, USA. Whatever went against their politics was substituted with what they thought a better regime run by puppets like Khomeini Revolution in the 70's which ruined the lives of iranian people and backfired the West by creating a dangerous regime in the region. The same with Afghanistan and maybe other places in the area. It's said when you see how prosperous those places were before superpowers decided to play gods and ruin the lives of millions of people.

reply to post by fluff007


Shame on America!
*Puts America's nose in the mess it created in Afghanistan.

(Repeats) Shame on you!!!

[America says nothing.]

That's what happens when you don't abide by proper Constitutional foreign policy. Tsk tsk America.

reply to post by pacifier2012


Many countries around the world are becoming more and more westernised because that is how the west wants it.. And many of the peeps in those countries want to become westernised because they think it means they will have a better life. Thats what they think..

For many the west = success + money. But most people know that is not the case..

I used to work with a girl from Poland at a livery yard. And she said she came over with her partner because they wanted a better life for their child. (she was pregnant at the time)

But after 6 months of being here, they decided to go back to Poland. She thought the UK was the place to be. The place where dreams come true.. They are just brainwashed into thinking that..

Look at the American Dream.. It doesn't even exist..!

Originally posted by pacifier2012
To me the photos of early Afghanistan show the gradual westernization of that country. Now it looks more like the way the Taliban would want it.

The way the Taliban want it? Or the way the rich banksters and elitists want it? War torn, and desolate. Everything generations of those people worked for, destroyed or stolen from them.

Don't think it can't happen in the west folks. It can.

reply to post by Telos

I've always been of the opinion that the actual situation in countries like Afghanistan, Iran etc are a product of continuous experiments conducted by some western countries like France, England, USA.

Lol you might well be right.. It would not surprise me in the least.

It really is very disturbing and sad..

reply to post by Klassified

Don't think it can't happen in the west folks. It can.

Its already happening in the west. Just to a different degree. Our money is being stolen. Our rights are being stolen. Our land being stolen. Our freedom is being stolen. And the list goes on...

reply to post by fluff007

Look at the American Dream.. It doesn't even exist..!

"...it's called the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it." George Carlin

ETA:

Its already happening in the west. Just to a different degree. Our money is being stolen. Our rights are being stolen. Our land being stolen. Our freedom is being stolen. And the list goes on...

Slowly but surely.

I just want to clarify that by experiments I mean social experiments. I have to be specific in order to avoid any misunderstandings.

War? More like rape, genocide and colonization, one country after the next.

For right now, contracted American soldiers patrol the streets and still shoot kids dead and rape Afghan women whenever they feel like it.

Afhanistan's presidency and government, unlike Americans, was a democracy. So what happened to their president"

PRESIDENT MASSOUD WAS ASSASINATED BY CIA ON 9/9/01 LESS THAN 48 HRS BEFORE 9/11

What about the plight of the people? They are strong, but brutally, genetically crippled thanks to USA:

Onto Pakistan... where next?

Originally posted by KamaSutra
War? More like rape, genocide and colonization, one country after the next.

For right now, contracted American soldiers patrol the streets and still shoot kids dead and rape Afghan women whenever they feel like it.

Afhanistan's presidency and government, unlike Americans, was a democracy. So what happened to their president"

PRESIDENT MASSOUD WAS ASSASINATED BY CIA ON 9/9/01 LESS THAN 48 HRS BEFORE 9/11

What about the plight of the people? They are strong, but brutally, genetically crippled thanks to USA:

Onto Pakistan... where next?

Ummm.. Whoa? I'm not sure where you're coming from on any of this? When was Afghanistan a Democracy? It was a Monarchy before the Soviets invaded in 1979 and then had a puppet regime backed by Moscow during their long years of war and occupation. Then nothing much at all until the Taliban rose from the warlords and formed up a national government. That fell in 2001 and Karzai is our selection and installation. I think we could have done MUCH MUCH better. One of these days, America could learn to 'install' strong and powerful men, capable of running a nation ..even at the risk they turn on us. Putting in wimps hurts all around I think.


How was Massoud killed by the CIA? Was that a CIA Reporter/Cameraman that lied their way in the get close and suicide bomb him?? That's absurd on the face of it. Massoud was our ALLY. A major one in the Soviet counter-insurgency efforts and it was Massoud's own people CIA and U.S. Army Green Berets made first contact with in September/October of 2001 to help kick the Taliban clear our of the major cities across all of Afghanistan by Christmas.

Why kill the wildly popular and quite pro-American leader of the fighting force we'd come to depend on just days later? It makes more sense that those about to attack the United States assassinated the man most key to a successful U.S. Counter strike, in advance. A nice preemptive move and probably a damned effective one too. I wonder if Massoud would have gone along with turning what was almost over in December of 2001 into a full occupation war? Probably not.....but killing him for America would have been counterproductive to such an extreme as to be beyond consideration in my mind.

reply to post by fluff007


This is why America, Britain and other countries are trying to bring it back. Amazing how it has changed since the civil war in the 1980s.

I don't think TPTB really care about developing Afghanistan...all they want are the natural resources that can be found there and screw anybody that gets in their way. America needs to beware what comes around goes around. I hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Originally posted by Twix404
reply to post by fluff007

 

Shame on America!
*Puts America's nose in the mess it created in Afghanistan.

(Repeats) Shame on you!!!

[America says nothing.]

That's what happens when you don't abide by proper Constitutional foreign policy. Tsk tsk America.

edit on 8-3-2013 by Twix404 because: (no reason given)

Just what exactly is "proper constitutional foreign policy?"

reply to post by fluff007

why do you have so obsession with camels ! they are amazing creatures. far more better than modern vehicles in deserts !!

reply to post by 35Foxtrot


Simply put, staying out of other peoples business unless it directly involves expressed concern from the Senate and its peoples. Or really, going to war only when necessary.

Originally posted by AndyMayhew
reply to post by fluff007

 

This is why America, Britain and other countries are trying to bring it back. Amazing how it has changed since the civil war in the 1980s.

Yes...bring it back...to a stable enough point to begin extraction of precious minerals...

First thing I seen was 1967 in the photos this was a place that was probaly built while the Briths were in control until 1947, but we forget that the US and Russia were backing different parties (Russia backed Taliban) that controlled Afghanistan, and Russia actually occupied Afchanistan befoe the US did.

The media that took published these photos in my opion are trying to make it look like it is all the US fault.

But did anyone report that the Gerneral that was in charge of the Afghanistan that freed them from Russian control was a hero but they (Afghanistan) turned on him and eventually caught up with him in Pakastan (Not 100% sure) and ended up Hanging him.

The Media only puts things out that they can benefit from.