Does Afghanistan need a new government?
Talks on the future of Afghanistan held in Bonn at the end of last year settled on a six-month interim government led by Hamid Karzai to fill the power vacuum left by the Taliban’s collapse. However, his government – which to a large extent shored up the power of the Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance – was only agreed upon as the first of two interim administrations. The leader of a second more broad-based government will be appointed by the loya jirga, it was decided, and, it is hoped, attract the support of the various warlords, factional and tribal leaders who are feared to have the power to plunge Afghanistan into another civil war. The council will also propose the transitional administration’s structure and key personnel. How does it work? 1,500 delegates meet over six days in Kabul to debate the type of government that will rule Afghanistan for the next 18 months before scheduled elections. The most important thing, therefore, is who gets to sit on the loya jirga. Who decides on
