Afghanistan's Democratic Success

With the removal of the Taliban from control in Afghanistan after the collapse of civil society after withdrawal of the Russian military in the wake of their failed invasion, it was assumed that the "Coalition of the Willing" would be able to restore civil order and initiate a new governance introducing democratic rule in that perpetually-troubled country. In fact, once the Taliban was pushed, along with their al-Qaeda cohorts, into the mountainous region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a good semblance of social, religious and political moderation returned to the country.

Several years later, an election process was held, and a Western-approved candidate for the presidency was elected. He was widely recognized as a political, religious moderate, a man whom all could trust to do the best for his country, as a patriot and a well-educated man. He was held to be incorruptible, and in a sense, this was true. But his incorruptibility did not extend to those whom he surrounded himself with; it was a personal ethic, in a country where corruption was always rife, an integral part of the economy and the social-cultural norm.

Worse, many of the budding politicians he brought into his ruling coalition were despised by ordinary Afghans, notorious as war lords with bloody pasts, with the responsibility on their hands of countless deaths of Afghans. The generosity of the international community in releasing funds to the new administration to aid in setting up civil infrastructure seeped into the hands of many of the parliamentarians and the elite civil servants. While the needs of the general population remained undiminished and unresponded to.

Still, schools were built, health centres were established, civil administration offices created, and volunteers from various countries came in to help train the judiciary, the civil authorities, the police, the military. And for a while there was a condition resembling peace and normalcy, with occasional skirmishes between foreign troops assembled there, and the Taliban. At the time of the first election, there was an atmosphere of hope and triumph. During this new election, the streets have been locked down, military personnel are everywhere.

There have been violent attacks by the Taliban, emboldened by their growing strength and the simple fact that they have successfully re-established their hold over a large and growing portion of the country. Even the capital, Kabul, where foreign troops and dignitaries are established, and where the country's military is in full strength, has not been immune to successful Taliban attacks, easily able to infiltrate, despite all the security measures set up to ensure they are unable to.

During the election, foreign agencies and donor institutions and embassies kept their personnel safely out of sight, and many foreigners simply left the country in anticipation of an upheaval of Taliban activity that would destabilize the country even more than has been done. There have been more than enough lives lost from among the international community dedicated to assisting the country. While that anticipation of a number of disastrous assaults did not in fact occur, this is a country teetering on the cusp of total collapse.

One which - despite the immense efforts of the international community in assembling their troops, their diplomats, their NGOs, humanitarian workers and volunteer professionals - the country has not been able to assert itself against the determined resurgence of the Taliban. Safety and security for the general population has degenerated. Afghans are threatened, civilians are killed, girls and women are victimized. Hamid Kazai, hoping to be declared, in the next few days, the re-elected campaign winner, has not helped.

Under his failed rule, the poppy trade has flourished, women's place in Afghan society has suffered a set-back under new (Shia) Sharia legislation, and graft and general corruption have moved forward. The election itself, given the threats issued by the Taliban against fearful voters, saw a small turnout in some key areas. There were rocket attacks and IED explosions across the country, further intimidating the already-intimidated, fearful of displaying inked fingers.

Afghans themselves have lost faith in the government that the Western-affiliated Hamid Karzai has given them. They have less security, fewer options, and less hope for the future. Social development and economic opportunities will continue to elude the country until and unless security of the civil authority and the country's people can be accomplished. Thus far, the situation has degraded, not advanced.