Afghanistan
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Despite the contentious nature of the term development, it is universally agreed upon that this concept entails the betterment of life for the people concerned. To improve the life of people it is necessary for them to be aware off and appreciative of this improvement, which means that it has to be in accordance with their demands. Hence I would agree with Amartya Sen that development is a relative notion and should not be conflated with economic growth and should be based on the various "freedoms" demanded by the people. Since development is a relative concept the role of international actors and outsiders, though helpful, is limited. They are limited in their work by lack of local knowledge and need and if they are to follow Sen's model they must familiarize themselves with local knowledge. But if development is truly based on the demands of the people then it must be driven by representatives of local people and locals themselves. Hence the ultimate aim of any development agency should be to make development sustainable and workable by the people.
Sen's notion of development as freedom is an extremely useful theoretical tool and should serve as a guideline for development agencies working for the reconstruction of regions such as Afghanistan. It promotes the provision of certain basic freedoms like freedom from hunger and persecution while encouraging the provision of other freedoms that rate high on the priority list of the local people. Afghanistan being a country of fiercely independent people who have traditionally resisted foreign intervention is a prime example of a case where development projects will not succeed unless they do not take into account the demands of the people regarding their desired freedoms...