Towards state legitimacy in Afghanistan.

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Democracy assistance

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Towards state legitimacy in Afghanistan.

After almost 10 years of substantial international efforts at nation-building in Afghanistan, the prospects of achieving a functioning, democratically governed state are facing ever greater dangers. Grave doubts have arisen from the mismanaged and fraudulent presidential elections of 2009, the persistence of warlords in positions of official authority, and signs that Afghans' fundamental rights may be subject to compromise for the sake of political expediency. Equally disconcerting is the yet-to-be quelled insurgency that, with the ethnic dimensions it possesses, stands to fracture the embryonic sense of national unity glimpsed over the last decade. Combined shortcomings in nationwide infrastructure reconstruction, the spotty provision of basic social services, and the ubiquitous menace of corruption exacerbate Afghans' weakening confidence in their government and its foreign backers.

Given these setbacks, countries contributing blood and treasure to Afghanistan's reconstruction are gradually lowering their expectations for a democratic Afghanistan; nonetheless, their stated goals remain largely unchanged. Citing the 2001 Bonn agreement, these contributors have yet to reverse their acknowledgement of"the right of the people of Afghanistan to freely determine their own political future in accordance with the principles of Islam, democracy, pluralism and social justice." (1) Recent statements made by the US and UK governments appear to indicate that their commitment remains to assist the Afghan government in the fulfilment and protection of this right and its accompanying principles. (2)

This promise is welcomed and desired by the Afghan people. A large majority of Afghans have made clear their desire for a universally elected, representative, and accountable governmen...

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