Warlords Research Paper

Introduction

When asking the average citizen about Afghanistan, most would regurgitate facts they have heard about the United States invading for several years because of the war on terrorism. There was and is still much more to the war in Afghanistan then what you see and here in the news. Although most troops are out, the war is far from over. Being a citizen in Afghanistan is not an easy task. Everyday you are faced with an almost non-existent government and the utter chaos of warlords throughout the country. Women are raped, children are harassed, and citizens are killed daily. Warlords have been in control of Afghanistan for several years now and will continue their reign of terror unless it is put to an end. The research conducted in

this paper seeks to find the impact warlords have on the lives of Afghan citizens through the newly implemented democratic process.
History of Warlords
The term warlord is described as a violent military commander with his own agenda. These lords of war were known for the raping of women with weapons, and killing of random people for no reason at all. They direct checkpoints on roads where they stop people selling goods or just passing by and rob them of all their money or items before killing them. Warlords have been a dark shadow cast on the country of Afghanistan for many years now, starting before Taliban, and continuing after they were conquered. It was once said that you have to pick your poison. Before the Taliban came to power the warlords were the only form of government Afghanistan had. They controlled everything and inflicted pain and fear into the Afghan citizens lives. People did not know what to expect or how to behave. Nowhere was safe to them and everyday was a guessing game. With the rise of the Taliban the warlords were pushed out of the spot light and an even bigger evil filled their shoes. Warlords were known for their evil acts but the Taliban was too. Most commonly, they placed bombs on dirt roads to kill both citizens and US soldiers alike (Kilucllen 99). The United States invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and United Airlines 93 in 2001. Their hopes were to defeat the Taliban and instill a democratic system modeled off of the United States. The problem with this method is that you cannot just take out the only source of government and stability, no matter how evil, and expect a perfect democratic system to follow in its place. The defeat of the Taliban gave rise to more corruption and more terror in the lives of citizens in Afghanistan. Warlords came back to power because there was no one to challenge them, and the little government that was instilled was filled with more corruption then anyone could imagine.
The New Democratic System
Following the removal of the Taliban from power in Afghanistan by the American military, a new democratic system attempted to be put in place. This system was corrupted, vastly to do with the Warlords that were running for president. As pointed out in the article Afghans Concerned with Warlords running for presidency, “The presence of some warlords among the presidential candidates has caused concern among the other presidential candidates and civil society bodies and they say that if there are war criminals among the candidates, they should be named so that people could vote knowingly” (Afghans Concerned 1). This has effected the lives of citizens tremendously in the past couple years. Many people supported the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States because they were tired of the Taliban’s terror but this terror has only continued. Now it is a possibility these people of evil intent will raise to power as president. It is estimated that “…of the 11 campaigns in the April 5th presidential election, six include at least one candidate on the ticket who is widely viewed as a warlord, with pasts and policies directly at odds with Western attempts to improve human rights here” (Nordland 1). If warlords were just running for presidency, constituents could simply not vote for them, however, the warlords that are running are not informing the public of their dark past. The Independent Election Commission, who is responsible for holding the elections in Afghanistan, is working to inform citizens of the human rights violators running for office (Afghans Concerned 1). With this being said, the thought of a warlord running for presidency is causing great distress among the Afghan community. Even if these people are prohibited from running for president, there are still alarming numbers of them in the political mainstream.
The common opinion among these citizens and leaders is that warlords running for president should be disclosed before the election. This would insure that people are aware of who they are actually voting for. A citizen of Afghanistan shows concern in the article when he stated “What the people want is that democracy and freedom of expression should be supported, justice should be established and the gun lords should leave the scene, free elections should be held and finally a national and democratic government should be established” (Afghan Official 1). Afghan citizens are showing an interest like never before in having a just country where criminals are tried and punished for their horrific actions against humanity. Some crimes that these candidates have committed are disgusting, including robbing people at gunpoint, destroying cities, forcing people to leave their homes, and forcefully marrying very young women, some of which were already engaged. The fear these warlords are causing citizens is tremendous, however it is amplified with the thought of current government officials cutting deals with them and supporting them. Mr. Karzai, a popular figurehead in the government of Afghanistan is involved in speculated support of these new candidates. Another worried constituent conveyed his frustration when he said “We hope Mr. Karzai will not bury democracy and freedom of the press by forming coalitions with these parties which will affect his background and work” (Afghan Official 1). Afghanistan is a broken country, and the battle to make it whole again is a never-ending fight. There was slight relief with the implementation of democracy, but the countries first language is still violence. The violence that citizens encounter daily is like nothing experienced in the United States, “Mass-casualty bombings and multiple beheadings, raping and looting, kidnappings and land grabs, are frequent enough to communicate to the country's fearful millions that their destiny remains in the uncaring hands of others” (Afghanistan Now 1). Warlords are the lesser evil compared to the Taliban but the terror they cause citizens cannot be compared to anywhere else in the world.
Hope For a Better Afghanistan
There are hopes for a brighter Afghanistan in the future, but this will take a lot of work.

Ali Ahmad Jalali is an interior minister of Afghanistan who has defeated warlords in the past and has a mission to keep them from rising to power and creating more chaos for citizens of Afghanistan. Defeating these warlords is no job for the weak. It takes carful planning and cannot be accomplished over night. By focusing on defeating the warlords at the top only, it is likely the warlords who don’t hold as much power will take their place and this will not solve anything. One thing in particular that Mr. Jalali is putting much focus into is the checkpoints created by the warlords. Jalali has several hundred Kabul policemen to man these points and ensure the safety of everyone. Hasan, a citizen of Afghanistan stresses the seriousness of these checkpoints when he shares a story about his own experience. When he was stopped at one of these checkpoints, a gunman beat him and took everything he owned. Hasan told the local media “They left me with just the clothes I was wearing. They took away whatever I had including money, and the old truck," (What Hasan Created 1). Although the progress is slow, it is the only hope Afghanistan has as of now for a better future. Ali Jalali is a glimmer of hope for Afghan citizens and they pray he will help to keep the warlords from inflicting further pain and fear into their

lives.
Warlords in Afghanistan
There are several prior warlords who hope to gain more power with the implementation of the new government in Afghanistan. Some of these figureheads include: Abdul Rashid Dostum, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Ismail Khan, Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Mohammed Omar. Abdul Rashid Dostum was a former general in the Afghan army and is said to be responsible for the killing of many Taliban prisoners. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is categorized as a terrorist by the United Sates. He has ordered attacks on rival groups to gain power and has said to be moving in and out of tribal areas in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ismail Khan fought alongside the United Sates against the Taliban but has since tried to gain power as a minister of water and energy. Mohammad Mohaqiq became the head of the Hezb-i-Wahdat political group and worked side by side with Mr. Karzai but was removed from power for differences with him. He commands support for the Hazara community and is a vice presidential candidate in the upcoming election. Mohammed Omar was the spiritual leader of the Taliban. He has been hiding since 2001 but is wanted by the United States government for sheltering Osama bin Laden (Kaphle 1). All of these warlords pose some sort of threat for the country of Afghanistan. They are all power hungry and will do whatever is necessary for their tribe to be heard in the new Afghan government. With the awareness that is now being shed on who these people are there is hope that the citizens of Afghanistan will be aware and vote for who they feel is best for the country.
Conclusion
Afghanistan is a country with a brutal and dark history. From warlords, to the Taliban, and back to warlords, corruption and despair is all the people of this country have known. In the past Afghan citizens were constantly in fear of what would happen next in their lives. There has never been offers of stability, or reassurance from any form of legitimate government to help them when they fall. With the new implementation of the broken democratic system by the United States, citizens had slight hope that their circumstances would take a turn for the better. This hope was demolished by the campaigns of warlords and extreme corruption within the political system. Efforts have been, and are currently being made to help this country get back on their feet however these efforts are slow to take effect and need careful planning from government willing to help. Daily life as an Afghan citizen is effected enormously by the newly implemented political process. Electing these warlords to power would ensure the crumble of the democratic system the United Sates and our soldiers put so much effort into creating. If one thing is certain, it is that something needs to be done. The citizens of Afghanistan cannot go on living the way they have been for so many years prior. A life full of chaos and uncertainty for not only yourself, but also your children, is unlike any that most people around the world can relate to. Reflecting on the murder of her brother by warlords, an Afghan women by the name of Mahparwar sobs “Arrest the murderers of my brother. Arrest the murderers of many others as well. They should be tried. They made us weep. They took away our breadwinners from us. I can never forgive them” (Warlords Dashed 1).