Word: jirga
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Karzai, who in June 2002 was confirmed in his job by a tribal assembly called a loya jirga, was a royal chieftain from the majority Pashtun tribe who, with some U.S. arm twisting, was found acceptable by the minority Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras. Having no army of his own, he was unthreatening to the country's warlords. With his fluent English, stoic bearing and good fashion sense, he seemed a comforting figure to the U.S. and the U.N. But as he nears the two-year mark on the job, the Karzai model is barely working for Karzai himself...
...There's no democrat in waiting to step in if the dictator departs. Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds would jostle for their share of power. Iraqi exiles would vie for supremacy with those inside the country who resent and mistrust them. Iraq has no tradition like Afghanistan's loya jirga that could give quick shape to home rule. That's why Administration hard-liners pushed to let the Iraqi National Congress, the controversial exile group encompassing the main opposition factions, organize a provisional government in advance. The White House finally decided against it, leaving exiles feeling betrayed...
...fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women.” Women activists have constantly complained that warlords and Islamic fundamentalists continue to unfairly wield power, even within the new government. Hundreds of women attended the emergency grand council or loya jirga general assembly last June, but women were discouraged from speaking and only three were elected. According to participants, warlords were given 30 minutes to speak while women were given only five minutes after considerable pressure...
...arrest me? He has mental problems," he says, holding court before nephews, cousins and Kalashnikov-wielding guards. "Look at Karzai," he bellows. "He has arrested himself. He has surrounded himself with 30 American guards who go everywhere with him." The congregation chuckles and Zadran keeps riffing. "The loya jirga was not a real loya jirga. It was a D.C. loya jirga. He is not the people's choice. Karzai must resign...
...dance, justice twinned with mercy. It has been seven months since the Taliban, with its pitiless version of Islamic rule, fell from power under the pressure of U.S. bombs. Last week 1,575 Afghan delegates representing all regions, all ethnicities and both sexes met in Kabul in a loya jirga, or traditional council, and chose as their new President for the next two years Hamid Karzai, who has served as interim leader since the Taliban collapsed. His administration, so far, is noted less for what it has rebuilt after 23 years of war than for its endurance and for making...