Neglect of Afghanistan Threatens to Unravel Democracy

Besides becoming the largest exporter of opium since the US invasion, Afghanistan continues as a collection of warlord fifedoms now focused on protecting its assets which include the number one cash crop. The distraction of Iraq may well handicap the Afghan recovery.
Afghanistan: Getting Disarmament Back on Track

The two-year-old process of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of forces, known as the Afghanistan New Beginnings Program (ANBP), is in danger of derailing: both the authority of the central government and the stability of the democratic process are at risk. Despite some significant ANBP successes, the Program has worrying gaps and weaknesses: it has not made significant inroads in disarming powerful Tajik-dominated units; has not kept pace with the evolving nature of Afghanistan's militias; and is only now beginning to make tentative plans for tackling the threat posed by unofficial militias. The central government and its international supporters have been partially complicit in maintaining the power of militia commanders. U.S.-led Coalition must not give political, military or economic support to any commander who refuses to accept Kabul's authority. As long as the ANBP's weaknesses are not addressed, militia networks will remain a major destructive element in the country's political and economic life.