Taliban left butthurt as Afghan election turnout matches the US in 2012 - Polidicks

[img]http://imgkk.com/i/k709.jpg[/img] [url]http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/04/7-million-afghans-just-dealt-a-blow-to-the-taliban/360373/[/url] [quote]In a nation more associated with calamity than consensus, the initial results of Saturday's Afghan presidential election are startling. Despite Taliban threats to attack polling stations nationwide, the same percentage of Afghans turned out to vote—roughly 58 percent, or 7 million out of 12 million eligible voters—as did Americans in the 2012 U.S. presidential race. Instead of collapsing, Afghan security forces effectively secured the vote. And a leading candidate to replace Hamid Karzai is Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank technocrat who has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, a Lebanese Christian wife, and an acclaimed book and TED talk entitled "Fixing Failed States." "Relative to what we were expecting, it's very hard to not conclude that this was a real defeat for the Taliban," Andrew Wilder, an American expert on Afghanistan, said in a telephone interview from Kabul on Monday. "And a very good day for the Afghan people." Two forces that have long destabilized the country—its political elite and its neighbors—could easily squander the initial success. Evidence of large-scale fraud could undermine the legitimacy of the election and exacerbate long-running ethnic divides. And outside powers could continue to fund and arm the Taliban and disgruntled Afghan warlords, as they have for decades. "None of it means it's over, Afghanistan is a democracy, and we've won," said Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. "But I don't think you can look at this turnout—in the rain and against death threats—and say nothing much has been achieved, as critics like to say." One of the biggest beneficiaries was the Afghan security forces. To the surprise of both Afghan and foreign observers, the Taliban failed to carry out a single large-scale assault in a major city. The group claimed to have carried out 1,000 attacks nationwide but security officials said that was a gross exaggeration. Election observers said the level of violence was unclear.[/quote]

It's a start, and Afghanistan still has a long way to go to fix itself, not to mention that the Taliban are still running about. But it's good to know some people still believe in the democratic process.

i'm sure the taliban will reform and become some sort of phone company, seriously they sound like they do phones.

snip, stupid in hindsight.

[img]http://imgkk.com/i/k709.jpg[/img] says rite here taliban sucks lol

[quote] And a leading candidate to replace Hamid Karzai is Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank technocrat who has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, a Lebanese Christian wife, and an acclaimed book and TED talk entitled "Fixing Failed States." [/quote] Sounds interesting. Not sure how the westernization and christian wife will go down though.

[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;44508267]Sounds interesting. Not sure how the westernization and christian wife will go down though.[/QUOTE] It does look a bit risky for him, but I also see massive potential for a candidate like him to completely turn the country around, or at least bring it back to cultural level of 60's-80's Afghanistan.

I can see the Taliban developing a political wing and entering elections in the future as a political party, provided that it's armed campaign fizzles out and loses much of its support. Of course there would be an irony in that they would be taking part in something they fought against.

[QUOTE=Dark One;44508196]i'm sure the taliban will reform and become some sort of phone company, seriously they sound like they do phones.[/QUOTE] Taliban, Free calls and texts to any local buried devices within 500 meter.

Elections are probably rigged. The Afghan government is a piece of shit.

[QUOTE=Buck.;44508560]It does look a bit risky for him, but I also see massive potential for a candidate like him to completely turn the country around, or at least bring it back to cultural level of 60's-80's Afghanistan.[/QUOTE] What do you mean "cultural level of the 60's-80's"? are you including the whole population or just a minority? The pasthun were westernised and then islamised (?) in the 90'?