Afghan warlords retain power despite democracy

[lovuian]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article318019.ece

Afghan warlords retain power despite democracy
By Justin Huggler, Asia Correspondent
Published: 08 October 2005
The warlords who have haunted the political landscape in Afghanistan since the fall of the Soviet-backed regime are set to cling to power once again, after provisional results of the first parliamentary election were declared yesterday.

In the all-important province of Kabul, which has 33 seats in parliament, with 65 per cent of votes counted the Hazara warlord Mohammed Mohaqiq emerged as a clear front-runner, with the former Northern Alliance official Younis Qanooni close behind.

A rare bright spot was provided by Malalai Joya, a female candidate who made her name by denouncing the warlords, and won a seat on a big popular vote in one of the first provinces to declare. But her success was overshadowed by the candidate running fourth in Kabul and almost certain to claim a seat, the notorious warlord Abd al-Rab Al-Rasual Sayyaf, a former ally of Osama bin Laden and alleged war criminal.

Mr Sayyaf was running well even after ballots from his stronghold district of Paghman were excluded because of vote fraud that included widespread ballot-stuffing, according to election officials.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[MADem]

1. Warlords retaining power, oh my!!!

Like the President is anything other than the Mayor of Kabul!

Why, I am shocked, I say....shocked!!

[tatertop]

2. No mention of Dostum. You can bet he's still evil as satan.

[Erika]

3. We're paying 1 billion a month and losing lives

so W can say he's freed Afghanis. How many days before W's gone?

[starroute]

4. Sayyaf is a really nasty piece of work

Here's an article on him from two years ago:

http://www.topplebush.com/article73_recpres.shtml

Paghman is a particularly bad area. I interviewed several families there last month and earlier this year, and like the people in U.S.-occupied Iraq, they described lives of constant physical threat and deprivation. Many families reported regular robberies by army and police troops there -- soldiers under the command of Paghman's local leader -- as well as rapes, kidnapping and ransom schemes by local military commanders.

Even the city of Kabul, often touted as the one secure area in the country, also has problems, and the thieving gunmen that plague its streets, most people say, all come from Paghman. (Paghman is a district within Kabul province, which itself extends well beyond the city limits.)

<snip>

Many of the footprints from crimes committed in the Kabul area lead directly to Paghman's de facto ruler, Abdul Rabb al-Rasul Sayyaf -- an archconservative Islamic fundamentalist with links to extremist Saudi groups, whose main sub-commanders are running extortion and kidnapping cartels right out of central Paghman. While Washington exults in the overthrow of the medieval Taliban regime, warlords like Sayyaf continue to enforce strict Islamic social codes including restrictions on women's education and dress.

Sayyaf, a major mujahedin leader from the past who allied himself with the U.S. in fighting the Taliban, is one of the most powerful men in the new Afghanistan. Sayyaf's influence extends beyond Paghman. He was an important force in creating a post-Taliban government, and he is a leading force in the country's current efforts to adopt a new constitution. Afghanistan's future, long-term or short-term, cannot be planned or predicted at this point without taking him into consideration.

[CHIMO]

5. Warlord democracy in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has seen many faces of government during the past three decades of violent conflict and revolution. Communism, monarchy, lawlessness, ethnic genocide and extremist theocracy have all made an appearance on the country's political stage.

After the fall of the Taliban, the international community has now decided that electoral democracy is the answer to Afghanistan's never-ending horrors.

As the international community struggles to maintain its credibility in Afghanistan, some of the most notorious militia commanders across the country have been successfully nominated for elite government positions, giving them legitimate political power despite atrocious human rights records.

While American-backed militias fight turf wars and election campaigns, the international community risks degrading the entire democratic process for war-weary and cynical Afghans.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_ahmad/20050721.html

As I remember the story, the warlords were kicked out after the Soviets left because the people were fed up with the warlords.

[ShockediSay]

6. US warlords retain power despite democracy

Democracy run by lobbyists, war contractors, media monopolists and the like. You call this a democracy? Let's see what happens in the US in '06.

[LynnTheDem]

7. And what "democracy" would that be?

Would that be their 2004 law against dis'ing in any way the Koran or Sharia?

How come so many Americans think "democracy" just means you get to vote (for the Talaban or warlords)?

[SoCalDem]

8. They have actually consolidated their power

Karzai is "mayor" of Kabul, thanks to secretservice/swat team protection , bought and paid for by the US..

[pinniped]

9. This is just a different flavor of this so-called deMOCKracy.

Afghan style.

[rodeodance]

10. as long as the purple fingers show up in the 'news' nothing else matters.

[salin]

11. Nominated to help make clear what bushjr.s "democracy making"

looks like in reality.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. The Taliban were swept into power

by popular disgust with the endless corruption and mayhem of the warlord regimes that took over after the soviet withdrawal. Those same warlords are now right back where they were before the Taliban took over - with a thin veneer of 'democracy is just people voting' and a minimal nato Kabul protection force keeping this potemkin village of the benefits of neoclown imperialism from totally disintegrating.

Not only have we failed to destroy al qaeda or to deny the region as a base of operations for al qaeda, we have totally failed to establish our vaunted freedom and democracy. We are incompetent arrogant corrupt fools.

[enigma000]

13. At least the Talaban didn't win n/t