A well worn Kalashnikov automatic rifle sits on the ground near in Mangow in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Spencer Platt / GettyFrom Time Magazine:
The reliable measure of stability in many countries is the value of the currency or the price of equities, bread or fuel — but not in Afghanistan: Here, the key indicator on which nearly every Afghan keeps tabs is the price of a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. And the bad news is that the market is bullish. The stepped-up Taliban offensive, and mounting discord over the outcome of last month's election, has seen the price of a Chinese-made AK smuggled in from Pakistan rise from $150 to $400 in just three months. "People are arming themselves," one western official in Kabul noted with alarm.
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My Comment: If I was living there, my AK-47s will be everywhere .... including RPGs, land mines, ammo, hand grenades, bullet proof vests, night vision goggles, knives and pistols, food and water to last me a year, and a communication setup to call in for backup .... and then .... I will backup everything that I have already put into place.
A near trembling on the price of a AK-47 in 3 months .... yup .... the deteriorating situation makes the arms bazaar a bullish place to be.