Governance in Afghanistan in a Regional Perspective – The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN)
(PDF) – The extensive political, military and economic engagement of the international community in Afghanistan raises the question about what kind of governance can be achieved there in the long-term. The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) began with the assumption that internal stability can be achieved with democratic and free-market development. And yet, an examination of Afghanistan’s neighbours in South Asia reveals that democratic and free-market mechanisms actually often inflame conflicts in ethnically-fragmented societies with a low level of development. Under such conditions, good and effective governance as well as stability will be difficult to realise. The comparison of Afghanistan with neighbouring countries characterised by similar circumstances leads to the more realistic assumption that forms of poor governance will prevail in Afghanistan for the longer term. However, this situation may still be perceived as an improvement upon the present state of civil war in many parts of the country