Oh yeah, I forgot about "bonds."
Right. T-Bonds. T-Bills. Debentures. Debt instruments not backed by collateral. Good only if the government has a bullet-proof credit rating, like most industrialized countries. Afghanistan might be risky, but then, if the people support overthrowing the government they would be throwing away their investment, wouldn't they. This is actually exactly what I was suggesting might deter terrorist acts that would devalue their potential dividends.