No Primary Necessary; Capitalists in Kabul

Michael Ubaldi, July 23, 2004.

Afghan President Hamed Karzai has inspired many with his characteristic blend of leadership, political savvy and chic dress and is favored by many, including Afghans, as the likely winner of Afghanistan's twenty-candidate presidential election in September. For those of us a bit uncomfortable with the idea of an uncontested executive contest, the situation has become more interesting: General Rashid Dostum, militia leader in the old Northern Alliance and commander in Afghanistan's new military, has decided to challenge Karzai in a race for Kabul. Some call him a "commander," others a "warlord": but we should take heart that Dostum resigned his military post, no slight bow to democratic society.

FrontPage Magazine reports that free marketeers have won a stunning victory in an Afghan International Chamber of Commerce vote, one that drew eight times more participants than expected. Said interim AICC President, Hamid Qaderi:

AICC seeks, and we have started to connect the business community to the very making of the policies, laws and regulations that determine the destiny of the private sector and a market economy in Afghanistan. ...We create this strong voice, not only to promote our own dreams of enterprise for ourselves and our families, but the well-being of the people of Afghanistan, their children and their grandchildren. By promoting with our words and deeds the 'market economy' that our constitution designates for our country, we bring the possibility of a new prosperity to Afghanistan.

Read the article yourself. The people of Afghanistan have withstood and overcome every hardship — and now they've been given the tools of liberty.