The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

ownership somehow. It should decrease exploitation of the poorest peasants and stimulatethe development of agriculture, thereby improving the material well being of thepopulation. It’s important that the plan is implemented mindfully.”“Do you think that the expropriation of land beyond the established limit will resultin the bankruptcy of well-established systems of large landlords?”“I already said that the agrarian reform should be conducted mindfully. Whyshouldn’t such well-established systems be turned into cooperatives right away?”“Would the landowner who possessed that land become a member of thecooperative?”“Well, a cooperative can thrive without such a landowner.”“And what of the landowner? You should consider that many wealthy landownershave a great number of servants, armed militias, and sons who are army officers.Landowners, as a rule, have ties with representatives of the higher clergy. Mirabs whodistribute water in the fields are accustomed to obeying them. You know, NikolaiAlexandrovich, it seems to me sometimes that Taraki’s government’s reforms arepurposefully provoking people to fight the new regime.”“You’re exaggerating, Valery. Yes, they may have acted a little hastily. There is atendency to imitate our revolutionary experience to the ‘T.’ Afghan traditions are not beingadequately considered. There is insufficient propaganda work in the provinces. But Iwouldn’t say that the publication of these decrees is provoking peasants to rebel againstthe government.”After lunch, Starostin drove the professor back to Hotel Kabul.285