Democratic Aspirations in Afghanistan By Russell Dalton page2

Support for democracy as an ideal is an important factor in building a democratic political culture, but such a culture should also include a set of values that underlie the democratic process. The 2006 survey thus asked about some of these (Table 1). There was nearly universal support in Afghanistan for the principle of equal rights. Another item asked specifically about provisions for gender equality in the constitution, and this also received broad support (89 percent). Similarly, there was widespread support for a peaceful political opposition.

Certainly, we should be cautious about accepting these responses at full face value. Social science research has repeatedly demonstrated that such abstract expressions of democratic values do not always predict actual behavior—even in established Western democracies. People can be “questionnaire democrats,” with the reality falling short of the ideal. This happens in every nation. And Afghans are still struggling to reconcile their traditional social values with democratic political norms. For instance, although most said in 2006 that they believed women should have equal rights, a slight majority also believed women should continue to wear the Burka as a sign of Afghan traditions.

Still, their democratic aspirations are a positive sign of the political potential in Afghanistan—much better than if most people did not subscribe to these opinions. Support for democratic values increases the predisposition for democratic behavior, so the high degree of expressed support for equality and a peaceful opposition are positive features of the contemporary Afghan political culture. And, as we might expect, those who support these values are significantly more likely to believe that democracy is the best form of government.

While most respondents expressed approval of democracy, the TAF survey also indicated that many Afghans retain strong Islamic values. Most believe that democracy and Islam can coexist. A Pushtun man in Herat interviewed in the pretest study said, “We should be democratic and keep Islamic values. A democratic country should take the best from both East and West.” However, about a third of Afghans said in 2006 that democracy challenges the values of Islam. This group increased in size since an earlier survey in 2004. The minority of Afghans who favored a role for religious leaders in national politics also was less supportive of a democratic system. Thus, one of the major questions for democratization in Afghanistan is whether the contrasting norms of democracy and Islam can be reconciled. As a young Uzbek woman said in the pretest, “We want democracy in an Islamic frame that respects national and religious traditions. We don’t want Western democracy.”

Finally, although the public was broadly supportive of democracy, there were sharp regional differences in the belief that one can freely express political opinions. Developing a context where democracy can function is an ongoing project. Residents in southwestern Afghanistan near Kandahar and the eastern region near the Pakistan border had the greatest doubts about free expression in their communities, which reflects the continuing political conflict in these regions. The TAF study suggests that the effects of the public’s democratic aspirations will be limited in the absence of a secure democratic context.

The challenges of building a stable democratic state in Afghanistan are tremendous. Yet the Afghans themselves display unexpected support for democracy. These sentiments might reflect the negative alternatives of authoritarian governments they have witnessed in their recent history. In addition, there are elements of Afghan culture and collective decision-making that provide a foundation for developing democracy, such as the Jirga tradition and village consultations. And when placed in comparison to the findings of the World Values Survey of democratic aspirations in other unlikely places, the TAF survey suggests that the desire to control one’s own life and to have individual freedom is a human value that is easily endorsed. A Tajik male in Jalalabad in the survey pretest provided an apt summary for how Afghans view their future: “We want democracy to bring peace in our country and to rebuild the country.”

Russell J. Dalton is a professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine.

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