And yet much less of a 'serious question' in places like Israel and Switzerland. But seriously: you think that Afghanistan is unable to be a modern state because "all (many?) men" are armed? What impact do you think there is from years of not letting women be armed? Indeed, there are many fighters in Afghanistan (not all of whom are Afghan) but I keep seeing coverage of farmers, craftsmen, and traders who just want to get back to making a living and providing for their families; and plenty just want to get back to their poppy fields. The numbers of armed men involved in even the Northern Alliance seemed quite low to me at the time of the fiercest fighting.
/jordan