I’d love to get Cyberweek attendees to check out a recent deck we put together for the National Defense University in the US. There’s some exciting planning around helping to resolve civil disputes in Afghanistan, and we proposed the creation of a cell-phone-only based resolution process based on traditional justice processes. This deck lays out how the mechanism would work. I’m the first to admit that I have very little first-hand knowledge of the reality of conditions on the ground in Afghanistan, so I think this proposal is in dire need of reality testing from Afghans, or individuals who have spent a significant amount of time in Afghanistan. But I do think there are some interesting possibilities. This could be a model for introducing ODR in many developing-world contexts, and for improving access to justice. Very curious to hear everyone’s thoughts.
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Thanks, Colin: it’s a fascinating and important project, and it’s clear from mapping the interviews on Afghanistan from the Amanpour program — to which I would love to add your analysis — that cultivating a meaningful sense of justice at the local level is imperative.
To what extent do you think that the physical co-presence of the traditional Jirga helps to legitimate the decisions and guard against intimidation/distortion? And to what extent is it possible to layer these dimensions into the M-Jirga?
David
Thanks, David. I agree that rule of law is crucial to peacemaking — the question is, how does ODR fit in.
I think the physical co-presence is an important part of the Jirga… the challenge will be demonstrating the impartiality of the m-Jirga even though you don’t get that physical co-presence. I think the selection of the elders will be crucially important… maybe even the ability of the disputants to talk to the elders directly.
I know the US is investing heavily in building cell phone technology in Afghanistan — they’re putting up cell phone towers and handing out free cell phones left and right, because the Taliban hate cell phones. So they want valuable services delivered over these phones so that they become essential. The question is, how much legitimacy does phone-based communication have in Afghan culture? I can’t answer that.
rah
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