Looking at this photo, would you guess this was taken in Afghanistan?
This photo is from a photo essay of Afghanistan in the 1950s and 60s from Foreign Policy magazine. It has haunted me since I looked at it. There was industry, higher education, a transportation system and infrastructure. People, including women, went to movie theaters, record stores, and parks. There were radio stations and a national defense force. In short, there was a civil society.
This essay loudly begs the question, "What the hell happened to this country?" That history is worth knowing. Super-power influence (American and Soviet) is worth understanding. And the question, "how does American presence there now affect what the photos look like 50 years from now?"
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