In today’s world, there is the tendency of established democracies lending a hand in shaping the political atmospheres of the developing nations. While the undertaking is aimed at making the world a better place, it is notable that some civilization will take time to adjust to the systems introduced and at times appear repulsive to new developments. The aim of this paper is to study the political situation in Afghanistan after its invasion by foreign nations especially America which aims to introduce democracy. Indeed, foreign invasion has worsened the political situation because the Afghan conception of democracy does not tally with that of the nations involved in its reconstruction. The study will involve a reaction to the film titled Hell of a Nation: Pulling Afghani Democracy from the Fire. The study will observe the underlying thematic concerns and check how the film addresses these issues.
The influence of the Western world in the political affairs of the Afghan community highlights the theme of postmaterialism (Lipset, 2000). This is a modern development which emerged in the mid 1960s to advocate for cultural improvements and equality especially among genders. The film, for example, showcases women getting involved in politics whereby they intend to be among the delegates expected to forge a new constitution. It is, therefore, worth noting that foreign influence from the west has infiltrated to compel the Afghans to make cultural adjustments that will pave way for an all inclusive government. The underlying tensions, however, still prevail to confirm that the novel ideals are not fully embraced by the populace.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Nancy Bermeo (2002) makes note of the dangers posed by globalization to reveal that the Afghan situation is still volatile as the film suggests. She laments that developments in the fast growing world do not always add up to a homogenous situation because the introduction of freight institutions will rub the Afghan society the wrong way (Mainwaring, 1998). Ethnicity, to begin with, is factor that will always determine the political stratification of the people. From the film, it is apparent that introducing a system of government simply because it has worked elsewhere is raising tensions. Considering that the Afghanistan population comprises of different ethnicities, the people tend to support leaders from their ethnic groups in hope that they will not be subordinated when it comes to the drafting of the constitution (Rubin, 2004). In this light, it is the groups with large numbers that win the day making the new institutions divide the people the Western world aims to bring together.
A closer look at the Afghan’s political development reveals that there has been an attempt to introduce constitutional courts to serve as primer for decision makers. With America at the forefront as the mother of all democracies, the move to erect courts to serve as an independent arm of the government appears to be a far-fetched move that the Afghan population is yet to embrace. The lawlessness in the society is highlighted in the film whereby the politicians campaigning for a position in the delegates’ forum fear for their lives even with the assurance that they have masses at their side. It seems, therefore, that the people with military might take the law in their hands and may sway the course of justice. Religion, on the other hand, tends to challenge the judicial system because the larger society believes that they should be guided by Islamic law (Horowitz, 2006). This highlights that the idea of an American system of democracy in Afghanistan will not go well with the population because the people are culturally and traditionally bound by Islam. The administration will thus have no otherwise but to incorporate Islamic beliefs as part of the Afghan constitution.
It has been noted that federalism, when applied as a model of government in multinational democracies, tends to mislead the global society (Stepan, 1999). With America at the forefront in the instillation of a working government in Afghanistan, and its ranking as the oldest and the most successful of the federal democracies, there is a threat of certain polities giving up their sovereignty for the purpose of overall security and other greater causes. The arising tensions in the movie, therefore, are highlights that the populace is being compelled to half-heartedly adjust so that they would reap from prevailing international opportunities.
Neocolonialism as a thematic concern has also been highlighted in the film. However much the foreign influence insists that the introduction of democracy in Afghanistan is for the betterment of the citizens, there is an indication that the godfathers are out to reap political mileage on a multinational level. The fear instilled in the campaigners for delegate positions indicates that there are underlying wars where the armed militias may move in to assassinate the individuals that seem to get in their way. This presents the threat of instillation of a rogue administration that favors the foreign administration behind the idealized development (Reynolds, 1995).
In conclusion, Hell of a Nation as a film presents the process of democratizing Afghanistan with undertones that highlight the prevailing shortcomings. Postmaterialism, for example is a central concern that seeks to push for equality and cultural adjustments that will uplift the disadvantages groups. The introduction of a novel government model, on the other hand, is not fully embraced and will take time especially when the role of court systems and religion in the society is concerned. Eventually, the prevailing picture is that of modern colonialism whereby America and its allies impose an impractical government in order to achieve selfish ends.
References
Bermeo, N. (2002). A new look at federalism: The import of institutions. Journal of Democracy, 13 (2), 96-110.
Horowitz, D. L. (2006). Constitutional courts: A primer for decision-makers. Journal of Democracy, 17 (4), 125-137. Doi: 10.1353/jod.2006.0063.
Lipset, S. M. (2000). The indispensability of political parties. Journal of Democracy, 11 (1), 1-6.
Mainwaring, S. (1998). Party systems in the third wave. Journal of Democracy, 9 (1), 1-10.
Reynolds, A. (1995). The case for proportionality. Journal of Democracy, 6 (4), 1-6.
Rubin, B. R. (2004). Hell of a nation: Afghan-style democracy. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/uncategorized/hell-of-a-nation-essay-afghan-style-democracy/1282/
Stepan, A. (1999). Federalism and democracy: Beyond the US model. Journal of Democracy, 10 (4), 19-34.
