Paper
Ashley J. Tellis
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Source: Getty
Testimony
Afghan Elections: What Happened and Where Do We Go From Here?
In spite of the fact that the disputed October presidential election has significantly undermined the legitimacy of the Afghan government, the United States should firmly recommit itself to the war effort and build its relationship with Karzai.
Published on Nov 19, 2009
Source: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
What went wrong with the Afghan election: the election was undoubtedly deeply flawed. Contrary to popular opinion, however, the election was far from an unmitigated disaster.
- However extensive the fraud may have been, very few individuals—in Afghanistan or outside—truly believe that any of President Karzai’s competitors could have legitimately earned more votes than he did to produce a fundamentally different result. His reelection, despite all the shenanigans that took place, therefore broadly reflects Afghan preferences.
- The provincial council elections, which took place at the same time, were successful at the local level in the sense that power was peacefully transferred in a country where such a concept is virtually unheard of, suggesting that democratic ideas are finally starting to take root.
U.S. Policy Recommendations: the United States must firmly recommit itself to the war in Afghanistan.
- Despite the damage his credibility has suffered, the United States has no choice but to accept Karzai as Afghanistan’s principal representative and to work with him for a better second term—because that is fundamentally in American interests.
- President Obama and his administration must commit to staying involved in the country over the long term. Without such a commitment, the insurgents will simply wait out the Coalition. Ordinary Afghans will have little incentive to side with an outside military force that is scheduled to depart shortly.
- The United States must take care to rebuild its relationship with Karzai. Softening the (at times) withering criticism of his regime would go a long way toward rebuilding trust.
- The United States should foster a strong American civil-military partnership in Kabul, ensuring close coordination between uniformed military officers, diplomats, and officials involved in reconstruction and development.
- Afghanistan must continue to receive consistent, government-wide attention from American policymakers.
About the Author
Ashley J. Tellis
Former Senior Fellow
Ashley J. Tellis was a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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