A Wake-Up Call in Afghanistan

Issue Date April 2007
Volume 18
Issue 2
Page Numbers 84-98
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As Afghanistan enters its sixth year since the overthrow of Taliban rule, the violent comeback campaign by Islamic insurgents is dominating headlines. Restoring security will require bringing more aid and better government to neglected rural areas, but it will be impossible to deliver those improvements so long as officials, workers, and projects remain vulnerable to attack. It is now dramatically apparent that even though Afghanistan has successfully held elections and met the formal requirements for a transition to democracy, it remains beset by a staggering array of problems, from public corruption to private warlordism, that have been allowed to fester virtually unchecked.

About the Author

Pamela Constable, staff writer at the Washington Post, has reported frequently from Afghanistan since 1998. She was Kabul bureau chief from 2002 to 2004. Her books include Fragments of Grace: My Search For Meaning in the Strife of South Asia (2004).

View all work by Pamela Constable