Local Governance in Afghanistan: A View from the Ground

Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit
2011
9. Conclusion
The first aspect emerging from this research is the need for much greater realism in the definition
and function of local government. Local government is composed of three elements: administration,
the judiciary, and representative institutions. The operation of administration and service delivery is
highly centralised and subject to a range of distortions. The judiciary suffers from much corruption.
The representative institutions have few rights beyond those of consultation and recommendation.
The development of viable and reflexive local government will require political will and action in
each of these areas. In addition, the building of representative institutions will require resources to
build capacity, provide administrative support and supply modest facilities. Furthermore, the Afghan
government must address these issues if it is to strengthen public support and cohesion. Failure to do
so will continue to undermine its political base and further encourage Taliban recruitment occurring
as a result of official malfeasance. 153
The second important feature is the need to develop public understanding of Afghanistan’s evolving
state structures and the ideas that underpin them. It is no longer feasible for communities to be
as self-contained as they have been in the past. As the state becomes a more established feature,
people’s lives will be transformed, as is already starting to be the case through education, better
health care, improved communication and economic development. However, Afghans are generally
cautious and conservative, and with good reason. As noted in Section 2.1, the public are currently
caught between the three competing agendas of the international community, the government and
the Taliban, and are quite rightly unsure of whom they can trust. This new form of government
intrudes upon their lives in novel ways, by no means all of which are seen as positive. The degree of
corruption is alienating many. If the public is to engage with government there is a need for better
public understanding of what government is, what it seeks to achieve and how. While people are
well versed in understanding the interplay of tribal, ethnic, party and personality politics, there is
little knowledge about government hierarchies, the notion of democracy, the nature of rights and
the way that programmes are selected and organised. Furthermore, when set against a background
of corruption, continued insecurity and the influence of foreigners, these features are often seen
in negative light. Communication and the development of public understanding is therefore of the
utmost importance. The establishment of effective local government structures has the potential
to play a part in this, as long as they are given appropriate levels of responsibility and resources.
Many found what was happening opaque and not readily understood by virtue of its complexity.
Explanations are needed, and for this to take place communication has to be substantially improved.
Thirdly, given levels of political will, resources and public understanding, there is a need for time. If
it is to happen, the transformation of local governance will not occur overnight. The initial mapping
out of changes to the system will be complex and fraught with the tension arising from competing
demands and fear of the loss of central control. There will be many difficulties that will need to be
overcome. However, once a clear, consensual and comprehensible strategy is established, then steps
can be taken to build greater capacity and responsive structures capable of generating public trust.
Crucially, nothing can be achieved at the pace currently being dictated by the West, which is pressing
systems beyond their capacity to respond and deliver.
Evidence from this study demonstrates the existence of a complex social order that has shown itself
capable of maintaining cohesion through the recent waves of development, whether structured by
the PDPA, the Soviets, the Taliban or the present phase of external donor support. While governance
remains diffuse, diverse and fragmented, it is by virtue of these features that Afghan society has been
able to maintain a measure of stability amid frequent changes in regime and ideology. Nevertheless,
society and expectations are changing as a result of the impact of migration, communications,
infrastructure development and technology. In the context of a modernising world and whatever the
outcomes of the present conflict, future Afghan governments will require structures that enable them
153 Lakhdar Brahimi and Thomas R. Pickering, Afghanistan Negotiating Peace: The Report of The Century Foundation
International Task Force on Afghanistan in Its Regional and Multilateral Dimensions (New York: The Century Foundation Press,
2011), 65, 78.
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