Every day brings us closer to April 2014, a month set for Afghanistan's presidential elections. Friend and foe alike are interested to see what is in the making for this country that has lived a most turbulent life for the past over thirty years. Let us have a look together at what may be in the cards for her.


In the world at large politicians come and politicians go. Some leave behind a favorable legacy, others ride straight into condemnation by history. History's judgment, harsh or just, is sometimes immediate and sometimes it may take decades and even centuries. One thing that is sure is the fact that while many liken playing of politics to playing a game of chess, a chess competition has set rules that are strictly enforced during the game; not so in politics. In political games politicians twist and turn the rules to fit their schemes for acquisition or keeping of power. Power is intoxicating and addictive. Addicts stick to it no matter what price they would have to pay for it. For one example you can look at president Putin of Russia. And do you remember an Arab colonel by the name of Qadafi, the Libyan politician who had an army of young lady body guards and remained in power as the ruler for almost half a century. He claimed his rule was democratic and that his people loved him. Well, they didn't. They rose against him and his army of young lady body guards and his fully armed hired foreign soldiers and killed him on a street of his capital notwithstanding his pleas for mercy. But these are already recorded in history books. What is not written in books of history yet is the fate of the Afghan nation after Karzai and after a pull out of coalition forces of NATO from that country. This will happen also in 2014. The Afghan president says his country is ready to meet the challenge of ruling the country with the help of its own military and police. Many say that is what he thinks. He may not be there then and no one is sure of who is going to be his replacement.

There is a short and a long list of aspirers for executive power in Afghanistan. When you look at them through their pictures-some candidates' photos such as that of Mr. Khalilzad is missing from the picture above) you see faces, old and new, mostly warlords, a few others who are mostly known to the people and some that are not. But they all look like pieces on a chessboard, the king and the queen and the knights and the bishops and the castles and of course the lowly rank ponds. Yet it seems they pretend to have a mind of their own. Past experience of the nation shows that perhaps they are being played by other players and they let themselves be played. The only strong passion they have is for personal power; some because they were deprived of it by Karzai's administration, some just seek vengeance on the system. Yet they are told that in democracies all you have to do is to promise the masses that you would be better than any and all other contenders, that you would perform miracles and would sleep "barefeet," (as a popular Afghan saying goes) solving any and all problems of the nation.. It is not a difficult job to do this, because by the time the nation finds out that you have reneged on your promises your tenure is almost up and that you have had your run of power. They seldom try to learn from history. Not only that but they don't even look at current trends in world politics. They do not want to look at the case of Mohammad Morsi, the deposed legally elected president of Egypt who promised one thing and delivered another.

But may be none of the above is important and the real important issue is the decision of the nation who, on paper, would be given the right to choose. Even in well established democracies there are problems with this-even Mr. Carter the former US president has recently doubted that the US democracy is a functioning one, but in a country like Afghanistan where democracy is in its infancy and where there is a high rate of illiteracy and people are in need of education and where many sources intervene in the affairs of the country and where regional forces and selfish neighbors spend enormous amounts of money and invest in enormous amount of politicking, straight forward, honest, and true elections could be a happy dream from dreamland of hopes only. With an active insurgency- the Taliban being busy blowing up innocent Afghans and exploding buildings and property even under the direct nose of Afghanistan's president, the security of elections pose another great challenge. But it is bound to happen as there is little excuse for not having it. The real question is who will win the elections and at what cost? Furthermore, it is important to see what course would the post Karzai administration in Afghanistan take? Observers can make predictions based on the platforms that would be presented to the public by the candidates. It is so far believed that very few may have a plan. Others would come up with cliche statements that Karzai administration was a failure and my, and or our administration would be a huge success. Others, looking at the record of some of the candidates at this time would conclude that some of them most certainly follow a course of extremism, of self aggrandizement and of further accumulation of wealth and power for him/herself. Yet others would want to pursue issues such as regionalism, religious division, ethnic divides and or their own attachments to one or the other neighbor of Afghanistan. Afghan politics is virgin territory. Descend on it by hooks or crooks and pick your choices.

The world on the other hand would watch; some to see the result of their own schemes and the play of payers of their own choice and coaching. Others would worry a little about safeguarding or otherwise of their own interests in this strategically located country in the heart of Asia. Yet some others would avariciously look at the treasures under the soil of this land, minerals of immense value for the expanding technological developments in the world especially that of the industrialized nations. Naturally they would rejoice if a candidate favorable to their objectives wins and would be sad and puzzled if they do not.

And the Afghans, the majority of Afghans, excepting the very few warlords and power and land grabbers and selfish chieftains and so-called parasitic spirituals would continue to suffer poverty, disease, ignorance, oppression and suppression. And the minority few would look at them and caressing their long gray or black beards and or fancy bottles of intoxicants and tailor-made European style suits, laugh out loud at the masses.

The chess game would be played and the pieces on the chessboard would jump over one another trying to annihilate the opponents. Let us have our tickets early lest they might sell out soon. 08/16/2013