After almost 12 months of headlines about combat and casualties in Kandahar, it can hardly be said that it's business as usual in Afghanistan. However, foreign entrepreneurs are finding ways to survive in this war-ravaged country.

To date, Canada has lost 46 killed and more than 250 wounded battling a resurgent Taliban in southern Afghanistan and NATO commanders are warning that the spring thaw will bring a resumption of major combat operations.

In total, there are nearly 40,000 U.S. and coalition forces deployed in the war-ravaged country (including 2,500 Canadians). The capital was declared secure when the Taliban collapsed in November 2001. However, since that juncture, despite the presence of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, Kabul has once again become a simmering pot of hatred and violence.

On two occasions last year - the first following the publication of anti-Islamic cartoons in a Danish newspaper, and the second after a fatal vehicle accident involving a U.S. convoy - residents went on looting sprees that targeted international community compounds. In each of those incidents, the Afghan police were nowhere to be seen until the carnage was over.

Norine MacDonald photo
Scott Taylor, front, packs a Kalashnikov as he joins a pair of South African security contractors for a meeting.

"They know in advance when the shit's gonna hit the fan and they bug out before that happens," explained Vince Scopa, an American ex-soldier turned contractor who maintains an office in Kabul. "When you notice that the police have abandoned their checkpoints, it's time to batten down the hatches."

Scopa is one of a growing number of international entrepreneurs who have found a silver lining in the violent clouds over Afghanistan. Operating as a professional manager, Scopa partners with locally based Afghan firms to tap into the lucrative flood of reconstruction contracts and military projects.

"Working (in Kabul) certainly isn't your standard nine-to-five office job," says Scopa. "Every day is a challenge, but the payoff makes it worthwhile as long as you know when to pack it in ... The way the (coalition) forces are issuing contracts right now, you know that the short- and mid-term opportunities are pretty secure. Beyond that, it's up to the Afghans to determine."

Doing business is admittedly difficult in a world where warlords still operate their private armies, the fledgling government is corrupt, the police force demands bribes at gunpoint and, as a result of the rudimentary banking structure, most deals are conducted on a cash-only basis.

The majority of the international entrepreneurs residing in Afghanistan maintain a lethal arsenal inside their walled compounds. The local gunshops sell Kalashnikov assault rifles for about US$100 and a good-quality handgun may set you back US$150. Even rocket launchers can be purchased for a reasonable price and ammunition costs just pennies per bullet.

For the bigger compounds, the security details are usually headed by a former special forces soldier-turned-private security contractor who employs a number of Afghan guards. This has created a lucrative employment niche for a lot of ex-soldiers who can now earn up to $1,000 a day working as a "gun for hire.”

Quite a few Canadian military veterans are presently performing such tasks in Kabul, including one former infantryman who picked up an inside job at the U.S. embassy.

Mark McCracken, formerly of Edmonton, served in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry on a number of tours in the former Yugoslavia. After retiring from the forces in 2001, McCracken was still looking for a job that offered a challenge. He found that new career as a handler of bomb-sniffing dogs.

"I had originally wanted to go straight to Iraq," said McCracken. "But I had to get my feet wet first with a tour in Afghanistan."

As part of the U.S. embassy staff, McCracken rarely has the opportunity to get out to the various clubs in Kabul, but for the majority of the international community, the underground nightlife in the Afghan capital continues to grow.

While Afghanistan is an Islamic republic with a strictly enforced prohibition on alcohol, there are a large number of "Westerners only" establishments that serve liquor. Entry is restricted to those possessing a foreign passport and each of those bars has a row of lockers at the front entrance. The tall compartments are for you to store your Kalashnikov, while the smaller row of lockers is intended to hold your pistols. There is also an abundance of Chinese restaurants in Kabul, the majority of which contain private rooms wherein waitresses perform additional services for generous tips.

Earlier this year, the Afghan authorities made noise about closing down the Westerners' bars and brothels, but in the end they compromised by levying a 10-per-cent sales tax on all illicit activity.

Accommodations for Western business seekers range from the tidy, simple, safe guesthouses that cost about US$30 a night including full board, to a number of international-standard hotels that run about US$80 per night.

For the high-rollers, there exists an oasis of luxury in the Serena Hotel. A five-star facility in any location, this fantastic hotel seems entirely out of sync with the impoverished streets beyond its walled courtyard. Nevertheless, corporate executives can be seen lounging in the elegant lobby sipping green tea and cutting billion-dollar deals.

Getting into Afghanistan in the first place is not without its difficulties.

Only a few airlines fly international flights into Kabul, and the airport's primitive air-control system allows for landings only during daylight hours with clear visibility. As a result, flights in and out are often delayed for days on end.

Once on the ground, the rough-and-ready air terminal is little more than a gauntlet of officials seeking a little baksheesh (tip). From the police to the porters to the taxi drivers, the locals descend on foreign visitors like a swarm of hungry flies.

If nothing else, this experience is an honest preparation for what lies ahead when seeking a business opportunity in Afghanistan.

(Scott Taylor is the publisher/editor-in-chief of Esprit de Corps magazine and was in Afghanistan in January. He can be reached at espritdecorp@idirect.com)