Decades of war transformed the afghan society from a conservative culture to an aggressive people. Taliban got a share of governance in the mountain areas, opium replaced food crops in the farms and the rule of law no longer determined who is right or wrong. The result, a society disintegrating into anarchy and religious intolerance. A recent interview by Al Jazeera of a convicted would-be suicide bomber in Kabul elucidated the sectarian mindset in this Muslim dominated society. Jamal (the interviewee) stated that “real life begins after doomsday. This world is a paradise for pagans and hell for Muslims; it is time to reverse it”.
Amidst the efforts made by the government to attract foreign investment, there still reek anti-western enterprises emanating from the populous. Tolerance of diversity is the first step towards reconciling the schism developed during the soviet invasion and US occupation. This way of thinking has permeated through generation and is becoming sort of a default mode of thought. Economic progress depends on global commerce that entails setting up of corporations in the country from multiple countries. No developed country succeeded without integrating foreign companies in their local economy.
The numerous suicide attacks still rife in the capital further compounds the situation. Businesses thrive in secure environments and these attacks drive away the much-needed stability for establishing proper businesses. Without incorporation of security measures within then Afghan society the anticipated development would be a mirage. There seems to be low trust level between the authority and citizens, promises of counter-measures against insurrection of the Taliban have not been felt or seen. Trust is the currency that keeps governments in power, once it is lost a country descends into anarchy.
President Hamid Karzai’s administration has been riddle with graft allegations; the democracy put in place to liberate the Afghan people seems to be the same cause crippling their growth. Greeks, the architects of the Western Civilization design the democracy to be a tool used by knowledgeable citizens to better governance, but with the high illiteracy rate in Afghanistan the function of democracy dwindles.
