Full Democracy Comes to Afghanistan

No longer just a strong-man elected by tribal potentates. Full-blown parliamentary democracy:

Formation of the assembly marks the last major step on an internationally sponsored path to democracy and stability laid out after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001.

This is an interesting take from AP:

"This is going to be a new exercise for most people," Fishstein said. "There's not a clear and consistent understanding of what a parliamentarian does."

Karzai is likely to have strong support, but there is plenty of room for debate and opposition.

All members of the lower parliament house were elected as individuals, not party members -- a system that could make legislation painstaking and contentious. Shifting alliances and the need to assemble support for every action may slow the process.

Guys? That's what democracy is. What the AP notes here is quite true, but they seem to be implicitly pining for the strong-man dictator model that's so well-served the third world for the past thousand years.

posted by Ace at 02:08 PM

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