A Solution For Afghanistan

The College of Political Knowledge

Professor’s Classroom

International Studies

Subject:  Afghan Politics

I thank my friend Quin over at Quintessential Havoc (blogroll will get you to his site) for making me think about this….I enjoy it when my talents are put to the task and Quin does have a way of pulling my chain….thanx my friend…..

As the war in Afghanistan drags on into its 10th year, there are many that are asking just what is the end game in the country, me being one of many that is asking.  There are many vague excuses for the continuation of the armed conflict….you noticed I said vague?  Yes vague…..is it to get al Qaeda?  How about the Taliban?  We are trying to give Afghanistan its first stable government in a thousand years.  But we are NOT there to build a nation.  What would you call it when one country imposes its political beliefs on another through the use of arms?

In case you are not sure….it is called NATION BUILDING………

Because of the tribal mentality of the country there is only ONE logical and rational answer….a DICTATORSHIP!  Sorry people…..you must be realistic….there is NO way that Afghanistan will ever have a stable representative government like the US in the foreseeable future.  The only viable alternative is a dictatorship…like it or not….

We have seen how weak the president/legislation example is in Afghanistan?  There will NEVER be a stable form of representative democracy in Afghanistan.  An authoritarian dictatorship would be the ONLY answer for stability.  If you like we could call it a guided democracy if that makes you more comfortable.

An authoritarian dictatorship would have a command of the political system but is kept in check by other institutions like the church or the military.  And that brings us to another point…Afghanistan needs a strong general that can command ALL the army and keep it in tow.

Saddam comes to mind…..that much hated dictator of years past…..but if you look at the societal part of his reign you will find education for all, including women, health care for all from cradle to grave, inexpensive energy, abundant food…granted his rule had its ugly sides but there was relative peace within the country…Afghanistan could use a good dictator at this point if they are ever to move into the 21st century.

Or another example is Libya…..an authoritarian state with an assembly of 700+ seats elected from the people’s committees….this could be a sample of what to do….give the heads of the different factions a seat in government, in the Jirga…..

Like it or not, without what I outlined the US and its troops will be serving and dying in Afghanistan for a generation or more.  Let us NOT delude ourselves…..calling for a democracy will NOT make it so.  Many people have many definitions for democracy , but to think that Afghanistan will ever have an American style democracy is just a pipe dream, at best.