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conclusion
Greater international attention to the economic re-
construction and development of Afghanistan and to 
its integration into the system of regional ties would 
make it possible to come closer to solving the diffi-
cult problems of security both in Afghanistan itself 
and at the interregional and global level. A funda-
mental re-examination in this light of the current 
international program of aid to Afghanistan (with a 
focus on transportation projects within Afghanistan 
and on enhanced economic cooperation between 
Afghanistan and its neighbors) may provide the 
necessary impulse to set in motion the country’s re-
construction. It seems to us that the key to solving 
the “Afghan problem” lies in fundamentally chang-
ing the situation not only within but also around 
Afghanistan—above all, the obvious inadequacy of 
international aid.
Only this will make it possible for more decisive 
steps to be taken to strengthen the central govern-
ment in Kabul and weaken the positions of destruc-
tive forces. The stabilization and steady development 
of Afghanistan would signify a major victory of the 
entire international community in the fight against 
global terrorism and extremism and the internation-
al drug trade. This will also make it easier to normal-
ize the situation in other regions of the world, includ-
ing the Middle East, because international terrorist 
organizations will no longer have a support base in 
Afghanistan. Furthermore, the building of transpor-
tation arteries through a stabilized Afghanistan may 
produce a global economic effect. This has the poten-
tial to greatly strengthen economic ties between the 
maritime and continental regions of Eurasia, correct 
the current imbalance in their economic develop-
ment, and ensure long-term stability in Eurasia as a 
whole.

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