There's a growing feeling of an opportunity lost. |
There's a part of Afghanistan where there's overt violence, and there's a part where there's more subtle intimidation. That creates an obstacle for people who are dedicated to taking part in the election. |
These events give the lie to the king's repeated statements about his firm belief in democracy. If he wants his public commitments to fundamental liberties to be taken seriously, he has to show that his forces will respect basic human rights standards. |
This election could have produced a parliament that really reflected the wants and needs of the Afghan people to be free from the rule of the gun . . . and for clinics, roads, schools and jobs. Instead what we may get is a parliament stocked with figures who represent the bloody past and who have very little legitimacy or competence to address the basic needs of the country. |
US forces are still detaining people without charge indefinitely in operating bases. |
Voters had to choose between the unknown and the notorious. |