Afghanistan Current Situation

KEY MESSAGES ON THE PRESENT SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN
I. Overall Situation
Afghanistan has just successfully completed its constitutional loya jirga. While this three-week process
was at times difficult, and the product imperfect, the drafting of a new constitution is an important landmark.
The next major step in Afghanistan’s transition will be elections, with at least presidential elections likely to
be held before September 2004. While there is a new sense of hope in Afghanistan, there is also a growing
understanding of just how massive a challenge the economic and political reconstruction of the country is.
The two biggest concerns of Afghans and their international allies are: a) continuing security problems,
particularly outside of Kabul; and b) a fear that the international community will lose interest in Afghanistan
before the country’s reconstruction achieves sustainable forward momentum.
Key Messages:
1) The task of building a stable Afghanistan is a massive challenge. Success is vital for both the welfare
of the Afghan people and the security of the region.
2) While significant progress has been made on numerous fronts since the collapse of the Taliban,
success is not yet inevitable. In particular, continuing insecurity, especially outside of Kabul,
constitutes a threat to both economic reconstruction and the holding of free and fair elections.
3) It is thus vital that the international community provide focused support to the Afghan people for a
period of at least 5-10 years. It is vital that this effort be truly multilateral, with the active and
cohesive participation of European, American regional and other actors.
II. Security
The current security situation in Afghanistan is uneven, which poses significant obstacles to
reconstruction, as well as voter registration and elections. In 2003, there was a significant increase in attacks
on both aid workers and representatives of the Afghan government. In general, security in Kabul is...