Ashraf Ghani: ‘Logician king’ or ethnonationalist?

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani looks to have earned respect among some political circles thanks to his spectacular tutorial background. With a PhD in anthropology and years of skills teaching at high US universities, he has been praised for his career achievements. In May per chance per chance also 2014, Ghani became once ranked 2d among « world thinkers » of 2013 by Britain’s Prospect Journal. 

Ghani enjoyed the high regard of some Afghans as properly. His inauguration because the head of the National Cohesion Authorities of Afghanistan (NUG) in September 2014 became once met with some optimism among the many knowledgeable segments of society. And that became once no topic frequent fraud all the device throughout the election path of which led to a energy-sharing deal between Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah.

Thanks to his fame as a « high thinker », Ghani has long been portrayed as Plato’s « thinker king » – somebody who can lead multi-ethnic Afghanistan in the direction of mighty-wished civic nationalism and change into the nation’s image. 

Having worked with the UN and the World Monetary institution, Ghani became once seen as somebody who would possibly per chance per chance per chance well bridge the ethnocentric socio-political divides. However, over three years have handed since Ghani started his tenure because the head of NUG, and his performance proved that he’s mighty extra of an ethnonationalist than a « thinker king ». 

A ‘thinker king’ in foreign affairs

In foreign affairs, Ghani has completed mighty better than dilapidated Afghan President Hamid Karzai. By pursuing pragmatic foreign policy methods, Ghani’s government has improved its standing on the area stage and learned tricks on how to withstand countries worship Pakistan.

Beneath his management, Afghanistan has raised its roar against enlighten sponsors of « terrorism » at regional and world forums. It has succeeded in convincing the worldwide community to position stress on Pakistan to give up its make stronger for the Taliban. The unique US formula in the direction of South Asia and its more difficult rhetoric on Pakistan adopted the extra special lobbying efforts of Ghani’s government.

Afghanistan has moreover utilised regional mechanisms (such because the South Asian Affiliation for Regional Cooperation, the Conference on Interaction and Self perception-Building Measures in Asia, the Coronary heart of Asia – Istanbul Process, etc.) to advertise the nation as a key financial link between South and Central Asia. This implies that, Afghanistan is taking part in predominant regional projects within the spheres of exchange, transport, and vitality.

Progress in foreign affairs is required for the future of Afghanistan, and to this level Ghani has completed properly.

An ethnonationalist in domestic affairs

However, on the domestic front, Afghanistan appears to be like to be going down an unsure path. Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, grew to change into president on the assist of a extraordinarily controversial election. Following accusations of unprecedented electoral violations, US Secretary of Converse John Kerry brokered a energy-sharing deal between Ghani and the Jamiat-e Islami celebration candidate Abdullah Abdullah. While there had been many reports of electoral fraud, the NUG Settlement made Ghani the president and Abdullah the executive executive officer, a quandary corresponding to a main minister’s seat.

The agreement that brought Ghani to energy mandated the NUG with amending the structure to interchange absolutely the presidential machine to a semi-presidential one, with a main minister because the head of government. It became once moreover supposed to reform the electoral machine and distribute electronic national identification cards. All of these reforms, which would possibly per chance have helped the formation of a with out a doubt democratic political machine inclusive of all ethnic groups, had been supposed to be conducted internal two years of the election.

The NUG has been in energy for nearly four years now, and none of these agreed measures has materialised. Furthermore, Ghani has made a different of controversial decisions that fuelled political tensions among the many nation’s ethnic groups extra. To illustrate, he repealed a regulations that can have every citizen opt what ethnicity they are for the unique biometric identification cards. Now each person shall be classified as « Afghan », a term many within the nation explore to search advice from contributors of the Pashtun tribe. This has angered many non-Pashtun groups.

Other than that, Ghani has remoted a different of prominent non-Pashtun leaders. He fired his senior adviser, Ahmad Zia Massoud, a notorious ethnic Tajik resolve and dilapidated vp. He forced First Vice President Contemporary Abdul Rashid Dostum, the most highly efficient leader of the Uzbek community, into self-imposed exile after accusing him of ordering the kidnapping and rape of an elderly political opponent. Dostum has claimed that every person accusations are fragment of a political set up of dwelling against him.

Ghani has moreover severed relations with Mohammad Mohaqiq, a highly efficient Hazara leader who is one among CEO Abdullah’s deputies. He has locked horns with Contemporary Atta Noor, a highly influential Jamiat resolve from the Tajik ethnic community within the north. Noor had been the governor of Balkh Province for Thirteen years till Ghani fired him in December final year.

While Ghani has systematically forced non-Pashtun leaders out of the unity government, he has surrounded himself with Pashtun ethnonationalist leaders. He signed a controversial peace kind out Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a notorious Pashtun tribal leader with ties to the Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Islamic Converse of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, moreover called ISIS) who is moreover called « the butcher of Kabul » for the characteristic he played within the destruction of Kabul within the Nineties civil wars.

Ghani has moreover appointed a handful of Pashtu-speaking advisors and has given them fleshy access to government resources and decision-making authority internal the Presidential Palace. To illustrate, the president’s national safety adviser, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, is responsible of safety institutions. 

Beneath the NUG agreement, such executive powers must soundless only be granted to the principal vp. As an alternative, Dostum is now in exile, and Ghani’s adviser enjoys the total privileges of his quandary – hiring, firing, selling and demoting internal the national navy and police. 

The unprecedented executive energy granted to Ghani’s advisors makes them de-facto chief ministers overriding the choice-making of the individuals appointed to these positions beneath the NUG.

So, looking out at his domestic insurance policies, it’s a ways highly unlikely to disclaim that Ghani has been acting worship an ethno- nationalist. Presidential elections are coming up in a year’s time, and most likely he thinks this formula will guarantee him re-election. However pushing Afghanistan down a path of ethnic divisions is unhealthy and would possibly per chance per chance per chance well precipitate Ghani’s political death.

The views expressed right here are the creator’s hang and form not necessarily judge Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.