Modernization Theory
Przeworski, Adam and Limongi, Fernando. 1997. Modernization: Theories and Facts.” World Politics 49 (2): 155-183.
This article presents a compendium of theories surrounding the concept of modernization and tries to offer the most intelligible interpretation of this term. Modernization and renewal should be understood not only in connection with political processes but also with the growth of society and the complication of its structure. The constructions proposed in this article provide a valuable framework for understanding modernization as a process of society’s striving towards a state of democracy. The proposed theoretical developments can be compared in the essay with the modern political history of Afghanistan.
Banda, Lloyd George. 2020. “Limitations of the Use of Modernization Theory in Formulating and Implementing Development Policies in Africa – The Case of Tanzania and Malawi.” Journal of Political Economy – Development: Comparative Regional Economies 4 (11): 1-10. doi:10.2139/SSRN.3747783.
This article examines in detail the application of modernization theory to direct practical implementation in several African countries. The author interprets in detail the theory of modernization and technologization itself, emphasizing that African states use its earliest version. However, by not adjusting the theoretical model to the economic and political context, but directly embodying it in reality, the government emphasizes its limitations. The theory of modernization, as the author emphasizes, is not flexible and is not able to save the country from an economic crisis. The research paper seems useful for the article as it looks at the problems of simplified understanding and straightforward application of the modernization project in the country.
Afghanistan – Domestic Forces
Zeweri, Helena. 2021. “Between Imperial Rule and Sovereignty: Rethinking Afghanistan Studies.” Interventions. doi: 10.1080/1369801X.2021.1885465
This article contains as its main idea a call for the need to revise the attitude of Western civilization towards the people of Afghanistan and their culture. The author resorts to an interdisciplinary analysis of three contemporary books on Afghanistan in order to provide a kind of snapshot of the modern life of the country’s society, its current beliefs, aspirations, and ideas. The context of modernization should always imply the regular updating of knowledge regarding the object in question. Therefore, this article seems to be relevant to research, as it offers a recontextualization of the established ideas about Afghan culture. The typological features of the life of the Afghan society revealed in it can be interpreted in the context of how much this society is at risk of changing after the withdrawal of troops.
Hussaini, Sayed Mahdi. 2021. “The Social Challenges of Modern State-Building in Afghanistan.” Technium Social Sciences Journal 16: 529-543.
This article examines the practical difficulties found in building a new type of society in Afghanistan over the past thirty years. The theoretical, sociological side of the issue and the immediate historical circumstances, such as gender discrimination and ethnic violence, are involved in the consideration. As a result, the people of Afghanistan are shown as having a split mentality and an unstable sense of national identity, which undoubtedly imposes difficulties on building a harmoniously working society. The legitimacy of the state is also emphasized as a problem prevailing in the country’s modern history. The article is noteworthy due to the large amount of historical context that makes it possible to understand the ethnic and religious problems of the increased conflict in the Afghan situation.
Hashemi, Sayed. & Ünlü, Mehmet. 2021. “An Analysis of Opportunities and Challenges Towards the Afghan Immigrants in Turkey.” International Journal of Geography and Geography Education, 43: 159-172.
This article offers a unique perspective on the state of Afghan society from the point of view of its neighboring country, Turkey. This state, according to the author’s remark, has been receiving a large number of migrants from Afghanistan for several decades, and waves of migration turn out to be associated with political turbulence in the country. The article describes the working and living opportunities given to Afghan emigrants in Turkey and the legal difficulties they may experience. The article allows us to consider how the processes taking place in Afghanistan influenced the quality of life of society, forcing people to leave the country. The process of modernization is considered in the article from an indirect aspect – the growth of migration; therefore, the data found in it can be used in the essay.
Afghanistan – External Forces
Idrees, M., and Anwar, K. 2017. “Afghanistan a Battle Ground for the Interests of Super Powers: A Special Reference to the USA.” Journal of Political Sciences & Public Affairs 5 (2). doi: 10.4172/2332-0761.1000245
This article provides a brief overview of the history of Afghanistan in recent decades in connection with the interests of other powers and politically influential organizations. The rise of the Taliban terrorist organization as a force influencing not only Afghanistan but also the entire Muslim world is described. America’s interest in this country as an extremely advantageous strategic point is emphasized. This article is useful for the essay in that it places Afghanistan in the global geopolitical picture, highlighting the strategic interests of the States in the democratization and modernization of the country. The article also covers virtually the entire history of Afghanistan in terms of external influences exerted on the country, from the era of colonization to the period of the Cold War. In general, the article provides the necessary historical context for understanding the reasons for such a concentration of military forces in the country and, therefore, is necessary for the essay.
“The Guardian view on the US departure from Afghanistan: its responsibilities don’t end here.” The Guardian, 2021.
The article discusses the prospective future of US-Afghan relations after the total withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The focus is on the lingering responsibilities of the United States, such as overseeing the Taliban’s compliance with declared agreements. The article problematizes the possibility of further development and modernization of the Afghan state due to the fact that the promises of the new government risk being unfulfilled. The analysis of the prospects proposed in it makes it possible to assess the real goals pursued by the new state and assess how low the possibilities of real modernization in society are at the moment.
Connah, Leoni. 2020. “US intervention in Afghanistan: Justifying the Unjustifiable?” South Asia Research 41 (1): 70-86. DOI: 10.1177/0262728020964609
The American intervention in this article is viewed as an extremely controversial action, the purely militaristic strategy which led to the fall of the Afghan state. The author offers possible strategies for the further development of society but emphasizes that they should not be military. The theses outlined in the article seem useful for one essay on modernization because they prove that any improvement introduced in the state by force can only lead to civilian deaths. The authors of the article also touch upon the issue of the promises of the US government to the people of Afghanistan. One of the clear examples is the claim of support for women’s rights and the establishment of equality, the implementation of which at the moment can obviously be considered invalid.
Hamid, Mairaj ul. 2021. “US Policies in Afghanistan since 9/11: Impact on Pakistan.” Pakistan: Bi-Annual Research Journal 57: 104-123.
This article attempts to interpret the influence of American forces on the formation of the Afghan state over the past twenty years. The approaches proposed by the administrations of different presidents are analyzed, in the process of which a lack of understanding of national identity and the impossibility of controlling criminal and terrorist processes are revealed. The influence of the situation in Afghanistan on the Eastern world and the role of American troops in the distribution of this influence are also discussed in the article. Afghanistan is represented as a country, the modernization of which is only further complicated by the American intervention. Thus, through the context presented in this article, it becomes possible to assess how little military invasion tactics can bring the country closer to improving the state apparatus.