Governance Issues in Afghanistan

Governance in Afghanistan has had serious downfalls and is suffering from rampant corruption, weak rule of law, limited sub-national governance, and a stumbling national government. Revealing facts such as the country’s highly unbalanced population (60% under the age of 25)andthe resurgent ethnic tensions coupled with alarming sectarian conflicts, religious fanaticism, and personalized politics worsen the situation .Virtually all the literature argues national and sub-national governance is weak in Afghanistan while Transparency International (TI)putsthe countryas the most corrupt in the world, a position it shares with war-riddled Somalia and rogue North Korea. The state structure in Afghanistan is highly centralized,which sometimes detracts from state’s popularity in the public eye. Principles such asaccountability, transparency, legitimacy, respect for human rights and rule of law, and empowerment &participation, are gravely missing in the Afghan governance structure though at diverse levels.

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