Thoughts on Afghanistan’s Loya Jirga: A Myth?Benjamin Buchholz

ASIEN – Nr. 104 (2007) pp. 23–33

„The Loya Jirga: Pain Therapy for Our Nation“. This headline used by the daily newspaper Arman-i Milli (25 June 2002, p. 2, my translation) captioned an article on the loya jirga’s role in Afghan history a few days after the 2002 loya jirga, or Grand Council, was held. Twelve years previously, captioning a similar article on the eve of the 1990 loya jirga, the newspaper Anis had written: „The Loya Jirga: Emergency Exit from the Fire of War for People and Homeland“ (16 May 1990, p. 1, my translation). These are both rather striking headlines, but they nevertheless stand for a belief still widely held in Afghanistan today. Even a casual review of Afghan newspapers of the past forty years, like Anis, Islah and the Kabul Times, reveals that a similar rhetoric has been repeatedly used in the historical setting of most loya jirgas. Recent interviews with politicians and academics show that the above-mentioned messages have also reached their addressees…

Manuscript received on 2007-02-17, accepted on 2007-04-30
Keywords: Afghanistan, contemporary political culture, (loya) jirga, political assemblies