An article in today’s Globe and Mail describes a new direction in Afghan politics. The newest opposition party counts among its members several men accused or suspected of war crimes, former rebel commanders, Islamists, Communists, and a general assortment of former enemies and political beliefs from Afghanistan’s turbulent past.
The question I have to ask is: Is this necessarily a bad thing? Afghanistan has not seen peace in at least 30 years and any step at reconciliation between the various groups could be seen as a positive development. However, the problem lies in the fact that members of this party have a vested interest in decentralization and delegation of more political authority to the provinces. They may be willing to cooperate until they are elected and able to pass laws that weaken the central government and delegate more power to their respective regions.
One of the major issues that plagues newly emerging democracies is a tendency to reinforce ethnic and tribal enclaves, often at the expense of cooperation. Sometimes this is for the best, but competition for resources and longstanding feuds often leads only to further conflict. What is interesting about this particular case is that the different actors seem willing to buy in to the political system in order to achieve their goals. I take this as a positive sign. It might not last, but then again, it may. Establishing a precedence of cooperation and political dispute resolution is an important step toward a more peaceful Afghanistan.
