Empowerment and Protection - Stories of Human Security Oct. 2014 | Page 18

AFGHANISTAN

Views on security
threats and protection
Leading drivers
of insecurity

Interviews with Afghans offer insights on what human security
means to them. As the majority of interviews are of Afghans who
are living in Kabul, it largely reflects the lives of Afghanistan’s
urban population. Nevertheless, the reflections from this chapter
are relevant beyond an urban perspective in revealing how the
Afghan people express their human security concerns. This section
will focus on the leading drivers of insecurity as identified by the
respondents. This will be followed by an analysis of what security
providers people see as contributing to their security.

Respondents name a number of sources of
insecurity, including terrorism and ongoing
armed conflict, weak governance and rule of
law, a lack of human rights, unemployment,
limited development, old traditions and patronage
systems, illiteracy, and ethnic discrimination.
These issues cut across all ethnicities,
communities and provinces and represent
common and shared fears and threats amongst
men and women.

RLD BANK 2014A)
=10.000.000
Zahid is a 32-year-old ethnic Pashtun who
works as a legal advisor in Kabul.
Illiteracy, lack of good governance, absence of
national unity, poverty, and unemployment are all
factors that add to my insecurity. Mass illiteracy
has prevented people from understanding others'
opinions no matter how well informed, [which] has
led me in many instances to use self-censorship.
Weak governance has prevented people from
reaching their goals, it has given way to nepotism
and weak rule of law. The absence of national
unity amongst all ethnicities has led some to
feel excluded and this has led to deep-seated
grievances.
Poverty has oriented people to worry about
meeting only their own needs with no consideration
for […] others. Unemployment has pushed people
to join the insurgency. In my village in Wardak
province I have asked elders why the youth
join the Taliban, and they have told me that it’s
because they’re jobless and the government is
unable to provide them with work, so they join the
insurgency. But I would say illiteracy is the most
important driver.
The factors that contribute to my sense of security
are the presence of a government even if it’s weak.
I say this because a few years ago we didn’t even

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
18 stories of Human Security | afghanistan

Physical insecurity:
foreign troops and acts of violence

“Good governance
and a country
where I can
express myself is
most important for
my security.”

Physical insecurity continues to be a common
issue for most people in Afghanistan and those
interviewed. However, the sources of insecurity
vary considerably among different regional groups.
As described below, the Taliban insurgency,
international troops, private security personnel and
warlords are some of the actors identified as posing
a threat to physical security. Interviewees emphasise
that while the Taliban are an obvious security
threat, the presence of NATO forces on the streets
also causes much anxiety. They say altercations
between NATO and the Taliban almost always
lead to civilian deaths and NATO forces sometimes
target local civilians.

have a government in place at all. When I was living
in Islamabad [Pakistan] before 2001, as a student
[...]a few of the Afghan students wanted to create
an Afghan students union, but since there was no
legitimate government in Afghanistan the university
wouldn’t recognise our student union. After 2001,
when a legitimate government was established,
we were able to create the student union. This
revealed to me the importance of a government,
even if weak, on the local population and even on
the refugee populations. Also the opportunities
for work in the past 12 years have given me much
security.
Both factors enable me to exercise my rights and
freedoms; they enable me to think of my future
and what investments I can make to ensure that
I continue to prosper. I believe these issues are
different for each individual. But for me good
governance and a country where I can express
myself is most important for my security.

“ oreign troops and
F
a weak government
add to my insecurity.”
Physical insecurity is deemed a bigger threat
by those living in rural areas than in urban
centres, because military operations against the
insurgency are active in rural Afghanistan, such
as in the southern provinces. Seddiq Ahmad, a
25-year-old resident of Kandahar province, says,
“Foreign troops and a weak government add to my
insecurity. The presence of international troops on
our roads poses a security problem for them and
all of us. I always feel scared when I see troops

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roaming the streets because I feel that they will be
attacked at any moment and anyone around them
will get hurt.”
Suicide attacks are a common a source of physical
insecurity in the urban areas. Zohal, a 25-year-old
female student from Kabul, says, “The Taliban and
suicide attacks make me feel very insecure. These
issues I think are caused by bad governance and
police. The Taliban disrupt peace and security,
and this disturbs everyone in their daily lives,
especially young girls as it prevents them from
moving around freely and living their lives free
from fear. What makes suicide attacks the most
serious threat to my sense of insecurity is that it
can happen anywhere, at any time and is very
difficult to predict.”

Governance failures

The majority of interviewees point to a lack of
good governance as a primary source of insecurity.
Unaccountable political leadership, rampant
corruption, injustice, lack of freedom of speech
or access to fundamental rights all contribute to
a sense of political insecurity. Irshad, a 32-yearold ethnic Pashtun working as a shopkeeper
in Kabul, says, “The current government is the
most important driver of my insecurity because
it is supposed to be responsible for our safety
and security. But instead it’s just a collection of
warlords, and this makes me feel unsafe as I fear
th is country will go back to old times again.”
Mizra Ahmad, an ethnic Tajik in Kabul, comments
on the lack of political will to provide human
security, “Traditions and culture in Afghanistan
and promotion of warlords have created a
government that does not care for its people. I
don’t feel secure myself. If there is no international
support, this country is going to fall down after
they leave. I think these issues are concerns for
everyone but especially for those who live in the
provinces.”
Dr. Wadir Safi is a Pashtun who works as the vice
president of the Afghanistan Justice Organisation
and as a senior professor at Kabul University. In
his view, “Illiteracy, ethnic divisiveness, lack of
good governance, and injustice are issues that
contribute to my insecurity and that of the entire
country. These issues originate from long standing
economic, political and structural issues which
in the past, and even now, do not provide locals
with the space needed to shape their own socio19