Afghanistan is set to enter a new phase of a turbulent period that began in the 1970s when competing political agendas led to armed conflict and the Soviet invasion in December 1979. However, there is little consensus on what the immediate future holds for Afghans. Opinion varies from cautious optimism to catastrophic doomsday scenarios. Human rights observers and in-country activists tend to be particularly pessimistic. They note with increasing concern that the gains of recent years, especially in relation to the rights of women and girls, are in danger of being eroded or worse.
It is worth recalling that the promotion of human rights in Afghanistan is not a new phenomenon. Since the formation of the Afghan state in the mid-18th century, the country has been buffeted by agendas that pursue or oppose reforms concerning the rights and status of women in society. The country's contemporary history has, in part, been shaped by the geopolitical agendas of neighbours and more distant states.
The zigzag pattern of gender rights in Afghanistan's history includes that of Malalai, a Pashtun heroine who rallied her countrymen to victory over British troops at the battle of Maiwand in 1880. She remains an important inspiration. So too do the reforms pushed through by Amir Abdur Rahman Khan a short while later. He forbade child marriage and abolished customs that obliged a widow to marry her brother-in-law. King Amanullah and his wife, Queen Soraya (1919-29) introduced reforms that discouraged polygamy. They abolished forced marriage and the practice of bride price. They also advanced health care and education for women. The first Afghan constitution in 1923 accorded equal rights to women and men, but reform initiatives, including those set out in the 1964 constitution that gave women the right to vote, were often met with stiff resistance, ignored, or overturned.
Afghan history did not inform the politics or policies that emerged in the wake of 9/11 to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights in Afghanistan. The creation of an environment conducive to respect for human rights was shaped by the launch of America's B-52 bombing campaign that quickly led to the demise of the Taliban regime. The routing of the Taliban brought to power individuals routinely described as warlords. The ability of Afghans to secure respect for their human rights has been greatly circumscribed by the role of these 'strongmen' who have dominated Afghan politics since the end of 2001.