Publication

The survey’s major finding is that projects delivered by the Afghanistan government gave Afghans a greater sense of amniyat—a Pashto/Dari word signifying predictability, community resilience, and physical security—than projects delivered by some other entity. For example, a well dug under the auspices of the Afghan government gave locals a greater feeling of stability than one delivered by foreign militaries, nongovernmental organizations, contractors, or anyone else. Who paid for the well or dug it did not matter; who requested it and managed its successful delivery meant everything.