In the past two decades, the republic was introduced to Afghanistan as a modern, widely accepted system of national unity. However, practical experiences showed that this system not only failed to become a pivot of Afghan unity but also deepened political, ethnic, linguistic, and party divisions. The causes of the republic’s failure, its structural deficiencies, the role of international actors, and the people’s calamities remind us of a dark and unfortunate period. In Afghanistan, the republic was largely an artificial framework imposed by foreign powers, not a natural outcome of the people’s will; whether the people liked it or not, warlords were placed at the power, and for twenty years, the nation was seated at the table of sorrow.
After the year 2001, the republic was established with direct support from the United States and NATO. The constitution, institutions, elections, and parliament were all based on Western models, but they had a deep contradiction with Afghan realities, values, and history. From the beginning of this system, the concentration of power, corruption, lack of electoral transparency, politicization of ethnic and linguistic issues, and the disconnection from the people’s lives were the factors that separated the republic from the people.
In the stance and recent statements of some political figures, there is an attempt to introduce republican system as a canopy for the unity of Afghans. This perspective draws from the unconscious memory, and in light of practical experiences and historical failures, such stances seem far from reality. The people do not see republicanism as a symbol of independence, justice, or unity; rather, they view it as a symbol of fragmentation, inequality, and distrust.
The greatest enemy of the republic was corruption. The thefts of high-ranking officials, the contractors’ mafia, ethnic and linguistic policies, the politics of ethnic balance, and linguistic privileges during the distribution of power were dominant. This turned nations into the center instead of the people. Our country was indirectly fragmented. The republic, which had the appearance of secularism, was in conflict with Afghanistan’s religious values. The republic was a mere imitative copy far removed from Afghan values, and it did not work.
The experience of the republic, despite having international support, failed without the support of the people. This shows us that political systems must align with social realities, religious values, historical memory, and national conscience. The foreign-based officials and their allies who propose an alternative to the republic still have time to learn a lesson and not rekindle the wounds and pains that the republic gifted to this tormented nation.
Their mystical ignorance and forgetfulness that the republic ended in a disaster, from high officials to district governors and lower levels, were victims of bribery, nepotism, contractor looting, and project embezzlement. Billions of dollars from the world were either squandered or ended up in the pockets of warlords. Under the banner of the republic, many warlords, smugglers, and former violators of human rights came to power. These people, instead of strengthening the system, pursued personal interests and dominance over their regions, creating a non-independent system. Without foreign powers, they had no desire to govern for even a day; with the departure of the last invader, they also distanced themselves from their people in the shows of toilets and now once again see the best solution in those same disasters; regardless of the nation, as long as their looting and plundering resume, muddy the waters, and catch fish in them.
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