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Pathway :: Home
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Afghanistan: Democratic Rights? |
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Contributed by John W. Warnock
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
 Following the U.S. invasion in October 2001, the people of Afghanistan have had virtually no say in how their country has been developed. The U.S. government decided which groups could participate in the conferences to form the interim government, the U.S. and Canadian governments drew up the new constitution, and the rules for the presidential and legislative elections were dictated by the occupation forces. The broad democratic parties and groups were excluded from all these processes. The U.S. government and its allies, with special assistance from Canada, chose to establish a highly centralized Islamist state with an open free market economy and reject the Constitution of 1964 and the wishes of the Afghan people. The National Endowment for Democracy and its Canadian ally, Rights and Democracy, played key roles in this imperial project.
Background to regime change
Since the end of World War II, the U.S. government has been extensively involved in overt and covert programs designed to support favoured governments or to oppose those which did not support U.S. policy goals. Much of this was done by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, well known now for its role in promoting military coups in Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954, Brazil in 1964, and Chile in 1973. Extensive funding and other support was given to opposition parties and favoured media outlets. Propaganda campaigns were common. Much of this was revealed in 1975 during hearings held by the U.S. Senate. The CIA was discredited, and there was widespread condemnation of the U.S. government for involving itself in the internal affairs of other countries.
The need for a new approach to intervention
In 1973 President Ronald Reagan created the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The U.S. government was to continue to engage in many of the same activities but indirectly through several non-governmental organizations. Under the umbrella of the NED there is the Free Trade Union Institute, created by the U.S. labour confederation, the AFL-CIO; the Center for Private Enterprise (CIPE), created by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the National Democratic Institute (NDI), created by the U.S. Democratic Party; and the International Republican Institute (IRI), created by the U.S. Republican Party. While nominally “independent,” 97% of their funds come from the U.S. Congress, administered by the U.S. Department of State. The other major “democracy promotion” organization is the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), run by U.S. government and business leaders, again funded almost completely by the Department of State.
Help from Canada
All of these organizations have worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan. They have been closely allied with the Canadian International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, now known as Rights and Democracy. The Canadian government created Rights and Democracy in 1998 with the active support of the NED and the U.S. government.
Promoting regime change
The NED received considerable publicity during the campaign by the Reagan Administration to overthrow the democratically elected Sandinist government in Nicaragua. The NED directly intervened, funding the anti-Sandinista organizations and political parties. Since the election of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, the NED and its affiliated organizations have been actively assisting the parties and organizations in opposition to the Chavez government. They supported the 2002 military-business coup which temporarily removed Chavez from office.
In the 1990 elections in Haiti the NED gave extensive support to Marc Bazin, a former World Bank official, and strongly opposed the election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The following year NED carried out a major media campaign in support of a coup to oust Aristide.
Democracy promotion
The NED and its affiliates provide funds and technical assistance to groups, organizations and political parties favoured by the U.S. government. This includes media support, planting news articles, helping to run elections, and conducting “exit polls” which are used to discredit or support elections. Such political activities are illegal if carried out by a foreign country in the United States. In contrast, the U.S. government believes it has the right to intervene politically in the internal affairs of other countries. These activities are supported by the Canadian government and Rights and Democracy.
An analysis of the policy orientation of these groups reveals the brand of democracy these U.S. front groups endorse. They promote the free market, the protection of private property rights, access to natural resources by foreign capital, and free trade and free trade organizations. Governments should be limited, and social programs, if necessary, should be targeted, not universal. Trade Unions should have a strong commitment to a private enterprise economy. In Afghanistan they have supported the privatization of social services, including health.
These “democracy promotion” organizations have been very active in Afghanistan since 2001, supporting the U.S. process for creating the new government. The Canadian government and Rights and Democracy have worked closely with the U.S. front organizations.
John W. Warnock is author of Creating a Failed State: the U.S. and Canada in Afghanistan to be published by Fernwood Publishing in May 2008.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 April 2008 )
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