Afghanistan Elections Crucial for Political Future
Afghanistan's parliamentary elections, scheduled for October 20, 2018 after a long delay, will give a sense of how far diplomatic and military efforts in the country may—or may not—go in the future, writes faculty member Noah Coburn in The Diplomat.
"Afghanistan’s long-delayed parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place later this week, have attracted little international interest, but could ultimately determine how much the international community’s military and diplomatic efforts can or cannot achieve in the future," writes Coburn in The Diplomat.
These parliamentary elections precede the presidential elections scheduled for 2019. However, fraudulent voting systems and violence at the polls have inhibited previous elections and threaten Afghanistan's burgeoning democratic system.
On Saturday, Oct. 20, Coburn will join BBC TV to provide live election analysis in Farsi.
Transparent democracy in Afghanistan is the most likely way to provide the long-term stability that would allow the international community to eventually withdraw from Afghanistan.
Faculty member Noah Coburn