In less than two weeks, Afghanistans new president, Ashraf Ghani, will head to London to meet with international donors. At the conference, scheduled for Dec. 4, he will seek billions of dollars to develop Afghanistan in a new era, as U.S. and international combat troops are preparing to withdraw by year's end. Afghanistan is facing a fiscal crisis; it recently ran out of money to pay salaries of civil servants.
Heres what the donors will factor into their decisions.
Shaping a new political order
Ghani has missed his own 45-day deadline for naming a cabinet, raising concerns of potential bureaucratic gridlock. In the local media and within the diplomatic community, many wonder if Ghani is getting along with his former rival, Abdullah Abdullah who now holds the post of chief executive, similar to being prime minister and whether they can agree on who should get cabinet posts.
A Western ambassador, in a briefing with journalists this week, said he expects the cabinet to be mostly formed by the time Ghani arrives for the London conference. Donors will closely watch the makeup of the Afghan government for signs of whetherit remains a body formed of nepotism and patronage, asit wasfor 13 years under Ghanis predecessor, Hamid Karzai.
If you want to convince people that this is a country thats going to be different in the future, youve got to convince them that youve got a government that can deliver that, said the ambassador, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss Ghani and his government.
Containing the Taliban
Security remains a concern. In recent days, the Taliban insurgency hasstepped up attacks in Kabul. They nearly assassinated the police chief and an outspoken womens rights activist, as well as targeted compounds where many foreigners live. Donors will want to see whetherGhani has a plan to contain the insurgency, either by fighting it effectively or engaging in peace talks.
Since taking office, Ghani has repeatedly called upon the Taliban to join a national peace dialogue. And hes actively engaging Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other international partners to support such a peace initiative. But the Taliban have rejected Ghanis offers.
Improving the status of women
Excerpt from:
WorldViews: What Afghanistan must do to get billions more in aid