The Afghan Election

It now appears the world will force a run off in the Afghan election. That is what the world says is necessary, what the opposition says is necessary. But what do the people of Afghanistan say? Little I am sure, based on cultural and historical precedents.

They expected the election to be rigged, they expected Karzai to win. And that is what happened. As far as they are concerned, he remains the Mayor of Kabul. He has little sway over the rank and file, they gave up on him long ago.

Should we be concerned about the legitimacy of the election? To some, and most Afghans, not really. We need to be more in tune with the needs and wants of the population. And they are little enamored with Central Governments. Historically they have gained little from any central government (unless they were of the tribe).

Is a strong legitimate government necessary to defeat the Taliban? I think not. Rather, providing some semblence of security would be better, I think most Afghans would agree. But that means starting in the villages and working our way upwards. This is not something we are willing to do after eight years.

Unless we do, we will end up on the outside. We have the know how and the ability. We must now move to implementation. We must provide the Afghan with justice, we must provide the Afghan with the ability to live his life. We must not make him live it according to our standards, that is an option where we will surely fail.