Writing in Politico, Michael O'Hanlon, who recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan, argues that the outlook for that country is more positive than has been reported. "I saw more basis for hope than recent perceptions in the United States would allow." O'Hanlon describes several reasons for optimism: "Four million in turnout is not bad for a midterm election in a troubled, war-torn countryWhatever Karzai’s limitations, there are a number ...

On Monday, September 27th, the Middle East Institute held an event entitled “The Struggle for a Democratic Future in Afghanistan: The 2010 Parliamentary Elections.” Kate Seelye, Vice President of Programs and Communications for MEI, introduced the two speakers: Marvin Weinbaum, scholar at the Middle East Institute, and Caroline Wadhams, Director for South Asia Security Studies at the Center for American Progress. Both recently returned from trips to Afghanistan, where they ...

An editorial in The National suggests that no matter how flawed, elections in Afghanistan are an essential step toward building a national identity: “The national project has never taken firm root in Afghanistan – tribes often reject the sovereignty of the provincial governments, much less the federal government in Kabul. The elections officials who are risking their lives in the hinterlands are engaged in an effort of nation-building. Fragile as it is, ...

Following last Saturday’s parliamentary election in Afghanistan both international and local observers documented widespread fraud. In its preliminary report, the Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) reported extensive voter intimidation, use of fake voter identification cards, ballot stuffing, and intimidation of electoral observers, among other irregularities. Despite these issues, FEFA hailed the participation of Afghan voters in the face of security threats: “The participation of voters and the security arrangements put in ...

At a joint press conference yesterday with French Defense Minister Herve Morin, Secretary of State Robert Gates said he believes that Afghanistan has a “capable and competent” security strategy for the September 18 parliamentary elections. According to Gates, the Afghan army has improved significantly over the past months. Morin concurred: “I can see actually very, very visible improvements,” he said, adding "At the beginning, I saw an army that was not ...

The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan has called on the Electoral Complaints Commission to “decisively adjudicate all complaints submitted after Saturday’s parliamentary elections.” FEFA election observers reportedly submitted 583 reports of election violations (including candidates using state funds for their campaigns and government representatives illegally supporting candidates) over a period of about five weeks. They also found numerous cases of election-related intimidation, including threats from the Taliban to ...

With the Taliban calling for a boycott and some in the Hazara community already complaining about interference in the voting process, this Saturday's parliamentary elections will likely be a fractious event. Writing at The Diplomat, Karlos Zurutuza takes the temperature of Afghans in Kabul. Many seem to have already decided on a candidate for reasons ranging from shared ethnic identity to simple competence. In a hopeful sign, 410 women are running ...

With parliamentary elections three days away and the beginning of a major offensive outside of Kandahar, worries about the coalition's mission in Afghanistan are growing. Gilles Dorronsoro spotlights the deteriorating security condition in the country: "While it is still safe in Kabul, you can feel the Taliban tightening its hold around the capital. The Taliban have a great deal of influence, but even where they haven’t established control, the ...

The United States Institute of Peace held a panel discussion today that included four of its successful grantees. The event was moderated by Andrew Blum, a program officer at the Grant Program and opening remarks were given by Ambassador Richard H. Solomon, president of the USIP. The panelists for the event were Dr. Abdel-Mitaal Girshab, of the Institute for the Development of Civil Society in Sudan, Masood Karokhail of the ...

Concerns about the U.S. mission in Afghanistan are growing as questions about the coalitions ability to effect real change become more prominent. The Wall Street Journal details the Karzai government's efforts to stifle cooperation between foreign corruption investigators and the Afghan prosecutors who they work with: "In July, Mr. Karzai moved to exert more control over two U.S.-backed outfits that detained one of his aides." The move, along with a review ...

Ann Marlowe recently interviewed three influential Afghans: Ahmad Wali Masoud, the former Afghan Ambassador to Britain, last year’s presidential challenger Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, and Amrullah Saleh, the former internal security chief who was recently removed. Dr. Abdullah and Massoud (Saleh did not comment on the record) spend most of the interview lamenting the control that Hamid Karzai has exercised and the support he enjoys from the United States. According to Marlowe, ...

The New America Foundation held a panel discussion today to introduce the Afghanistan Study Group's paper, "A New Way Forward: Rethinking U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan". (PDF here) The panel members were all members of the study group, although not all of them signed the finished product making for an interesting discussion. The panel included Paul Pillar (Director of Graduate Studies, Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University and former ...

CFR.org has a new interview with International Crisis Group analyst Candace Rondeaux previewing Afghanistan’s September 18th parliamentary election. According to Rondeaux, the outlook isn’t good. Candidates, campaigners, and elections officials are all targets for attack; significant fraud is expected despite the efforts of international monitors; and voter turn-out will likely be much lower than previous elections. These factors lead Rondeaux to argue that the elections should be postponed until the ...

Afghanistan's parliamentary elections will be held on September 18th in Afghanistan. Tina Blohm reports from Paktika on the difficulties of running free and fair elections there.  The problems range from a shrinking number of polling places (190, down from 265 in last year's presidential elections) due to security issues, to a lack of poll workers brought about by a fear of insurgent reprisals, and the fact that "According to the ...

At Democracy Digest, Michael Allen covers a recent Brookings Institution event featuring Steve Coll, Vali Nasr, and Michael O'Hanlon, exploring the effectiveness of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. According to Coll, NATO has made a "Faustian Pact" with local warlords by sacrificing the long term development of civil society for short term security gains. Coll also expressed concern that too much emphasis is being paid to centralization at the cost of ...

Last month, in a delegation organized by Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), four members of the House of Representatives met in Europe with ethnic minority leaders from Afghanistan who oppose "President Hamid Karzai and his U.S.-backed initiative to open political negotiations with the Taliban." Rohrabacher recently stated that no one in Afghanistan wants a central government, adding that "That's the model that we have been trying to force with our military ...

Writing in Foreign Affairs, Stephen Biddle, Fotini Christia, and J Alexander Thier reject assumptions that a stable system of government cannot be achieved in Afghanistan, arguing that "Afghanistan's own history offers ample evidence of the kind of stable, decentralized governance that could meet today's demands without abandoning the country's current constitution." They argue that the Karzai government has struggled because it is based on the model of ...

According to Reuters, about 350 clerics in Afghanistan met this week for three days to discuss their reconciliation with the Taliban. The Ulema called on "President Hamid Karzai to enact sharia, or Islamic law, including punishments such as stonings, lashing, amputation and execution." Recently this week, a 35-year old widow, accused of adultery, was flogged 200 times and then shot in the head three times by the Taliban. ...

Afghan President Hamid Karzai sparked grave concerns in the U.S. administration last week by ordering an investigation of two American anti-corruption units involved in the recent arrest of some senior officials in the Afghan government on bribery and graft charges, arguing that the units were acting outside of the Afghan constitution. Afghanistan's attorney general indicated that Karzai intends to issue new regulations for the Major Crimes Task Force and Special ...

The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs held a public hearing addressing corruption in Afghanistan. The committee, headed by Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY), requested the testimony of two witnesses: Richard C. Holbrooke, Ambassador and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator. (POMED's full notes continue below or view them as a pdf) In her opening ...