The state of democracy in Afghani Stan. So much for nation-building. Afghanistan, in a nutshell, remains a collection of warlords in search of their best cut of the opium economy ($2.3 billion in 2003, an expected 100% increase in 2004). The 9,000 [North Atlantic Treaty Organization]/NATO troops "stabilizing" the country hardly venture outside of Kabul - so nothing is "stabilized": more Afghan officials and aid workers died this year than in 2002 and 2003... The main theme of this election won't be reported: it's called voter intimidation. Both the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe even said they could not monitor the election for fear they would be constrained to denounce it as not being free and fair. In the end, they sent some 125 monitors - but they are confined to Kabul - for fear of Taliban attacks. In the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan, "security" in the polls will be provided by local militias controlled by - who else - regional warlords, who themselves will be controlling voter intimidation.

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