January 04, 2004
PIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL:
Afghans Approve Constitution, Starting New Era of Democracy (CARLOTTA GALL, January 4, 2004, NY Times)
Delegates at a national meeting approved a new constitution for Afghanistan today after three weeks of sometimes tense debate, inaugurating a new era of democracy for the ravaged country."There is rain coming and flowers are growing over my body," said the chairman of the grand council, or loya jirga, Sebaghatullah Mojadeddi, reciting a poem. "I am so happy the ending is so pious and beautiful," he said, his voice cracking as he prayed to God.
In an enormous step forward, Afghanistan organized a democratic presidential system, with a directly elected president, a two-chamber national assembly, an independent judiciary and new elections in just six months. In carefully balanced wording intended to combine both democracy and Islam, the country will be renamed the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and will be ruled by civil law, but one in which no law will be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of Islam.
Given the historic ungovernability of the country and the undying ethnic enmities, it's hard to be too optimistic about this, but they have now an opportunity to create a decent and democratic nation--what more could any people ask? Posted by Orrin Judd at January 4, 2004 03:27 PM
"what more could any people ask?"
Well, that is a good question, and one that should be best be put to the elite media, who are never short of criticism. Even tolerably "balanced" pubs like the Economist can not print an issue without some complaint about how life in Afghanistan is not as good as life in the English countryside or in a suburb of Chicago.
Posted by: MG at January 4, 2004 04:21 PMTen buck says we're bombing them again in five years. Taliban Lite brought to you by US Dept. of State compliments of the American Tax payers. And no, I don't have a better idea.
Posted by: NC3 at January 4, 2004 08:03 PMThe US gov't should commit to a multi-year programme to build infrastructure, specifically roads, schools and telecommunications, and give tax breaks to US companies who place factories or other workplaces in Afghanistan.
There's no reason that the Afghani can't glue together sneakers for a dollar a day, just like any other third-world labor force.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at January 5, 2004 08:02 AMIf they end up with a government like that of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it will be considered a failure.
Posted by: Bob Hawkins at January 5, 2004 12:03 PM