Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Foreword by Dan Lewis
- I INTRODUCTION
- II CASE STUDIES
- 2 Stability, Justice, and Rights in the Wake of the Cold War: The Housing, Land, and Property Rights Legacy of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia
- 3 The Response of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo to Address Property Rights Challenges
- 4 Balancing Rights and Norms: Property Programming in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, and Bougainville
- 5 Housing, Land, and Property Restitution Rights in Afghanistan
- 6 Peacekeeping and HLP Rights in the Great Lakes Region of Africa: Burundi, Rwanda, and DR Congo
- 7 The Trouble with Iraq: Lessons from the Field on the Development of a Property Restitution System in “Post”-Conflict Circumstances
- 8 Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement: An Opportunity for Coherently Addressing Housing, Land, and Property Issues?
- 9 The Impacts of UN Peace Operations on Local Housing Markets
- III CONCLUSIONS
- Index
5 - Housing, Land, and Property Restitution Rights in Afghanistan
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 July 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Foreword by Dan Lewis
- I INTRODUCTION
- II CASE STUDIES
- 2 Stability, Justice, and Rights in the Wake of the Cold War: The Housing, Land, and Property Rights Legacy of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia
- 3 The Response of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo to Address Property Rights Challenges
- 4 Balancing Rights and Norms: Property Programming in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, and Bougainville
- 5 Housing, Land, and Property Restitution Rights in Afghanistan
- 6 Peacekeeping and HLP Rights in the Great Lakes Region of Africa: Burundi, Rwanda, and DR Congo
- 7 The Trouble with Iraq: Lessons from the Field on the Development of a Property Restitution System in “Post”-Conflict Circumstances
- 8 Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement: An Opportunity for Coherently Addressing Housing, Land, and Property Issues?
- 9 The Impacts of UN Peace Operations on Local Housing Markets
- III CONCLUSIONS
- Index
Summary
Introduction
Housing, land, and property (HLP) rights are undoubtedly some of most important challenges facing the government of Afghanistan, but in this specific case it would be wrong to assume that the solution to these problems lies simply in implementing a policy of “restitution.” It is neither possible nor desirable to turn the clock back by restoring all land to “rightful owners.”
Over the last forty years Afghanistan's various rulers have attempted to transform the country from feudalism, to communism, to an Islamic theocracy, to a neo-liberal free market economy. Different rulers have pursued different policies toward the HLP sectors, often based on the need to reward political supporters or allies.
Arable land is scare in Afghanistan and there is a considerable, and rapidly growing, landless population. Ownership and land use rights in Afghanistan remain starkly inequitable and it should not be assumed that there is a consensus about the “right to private property” in Afghan society. Indeed, if the root cause of the conflicts that wreaked such devastation in Afghanistan could be summarized in a single word, it would probably be “land.”
Frustration at the slow pace of land reform was a significant factor that led to the ousting of King Zahir Shah by his cousin, General Mohammed Daoud, in 1973 and eventually to the seizure of power by the communists in 1978.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Post-Conflict United Nations and Other Peace OperationsA Comparative Survey and Proposal for Reform, pp. 136 - 178Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008
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