The Challenges to Nation-Building

in Afghanistan continues...

Afghans need to locate themselves in their social context and people need to be able to engage in face-to-face interactions. Informal village-level bodies are the

primary functioning structure of decision-making which still remain. In

some Islamic religious thoughts, the Shura (council or the jirga in pashto)

is considered the ideal model for governance. Such local governing bodies

also have functioned as advisory council formed to solve conflicts, resolve

disputes, or deliberate on decisions affecting the community.

Such councils are comprised of those whose opinions, negotiating skills and

knowledge of tribal and/or religious law are respected, usually including

elders, religious authorities and local influentials. Any head of the

household can attend a Shura and all parties attending the Shura are

allowed to speak. Unless the proper people are represented at the Shura, a

decision will not be made although and no one is vested with the ultimate

decision-making authority. The Shura can deal with problems or disputes

that arise within the community and also may deal with division of labour or resources where communal issues are concerned.

Though from outside such a system appear exploitative and corrupt,

yet it gives the people access to justice which they otherwise do not get.

Though the system is not democratic, the institutions are representative

of the local population and hence a critical resource for political and

physical reconstruction. All the political institutions currently

functioning in Afghanistan (regional, national, local and international)

should be fashioned into a cohesive framework. The tradition of Loya

Jirga has been utilized in Afghanistan in the post-Taleban period to

establish the transitional government and its leader, Hamid Karzai. The

necessity of incorporating such socio-political subsystems into the greater system is a major challenge.

To be continued...