ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part begins by noting that war has plagued Afghanistan, and as a result, the nation has faced serious economic setbacks, especially in sustainability. It suggests that by all accounts, donor governments have been largely “successful” in identifying significant resources for gender-related programming in Afghanistan during 2001–2015. The part considers the confluence of the protection of women’s rights and progress in Afghanistan. This process was – and sometimes still is – fueled by the West’s simplistic representation of Afghan women, often portrayed as either passive victims of oppression and violence or as active role models or heroes. The part shows that the decades of violence and political turmoil in Afghanistan have set back social progress, increased the level of poverty within the country and created an environment rife with security threats.
