The issue of good governance and growing insurgencies in various provinces of Afghanistan has widely been discussed in Afghan print and electronic media since last couple of years. The people of Afghanistan, non-governmental organizations and international community are in trouble due to the day-to-day increasing cycle of violence and insecurity in the country.
Good governance is essential for fostering the development of security and economic recovery. Post–conflict peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan totally depends on the expansion of institutionalized economic interdependence.
The complexity of peace building, its chances and challenges in the south and western Afghan provinces need to be considered. The main objective must be to create a better understanding of NATO's engagement in peace support operations by examining the various tasks of ISAF and to assess the future prospects of this war-torn country.
Since governance is the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented, an analysis of governance focuses on the formal and informal actors involved in decision-making and implementing the decisions made and the formal and informal structures that have been set in place to arrive at and implement the decision. Originally, the term "good governance" referred to efficient public sector management, accountability and controls, decentralization and transparency.
The language of 'good governance' among the donor community appears to limit its definition to the democratic or human rights content of it. In other words, governance has not been properly carried out, fully using all the potentials of governmental institutions.
Thus, governance should never be exclusively self-centered. This applies to religions, nations, races, businesses and families. The scholars have long identified the issue of governance in Afghanistan as a prerequisite for the development of the country.
The joint Assessment for Recovery and Reconstruction of Afghanistan (2002) conducted by the Asia Development Bank, UNDP, and the World Bank, has rightly emphasized governance and good governance as crucial aspects for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
Security continues to be a prerequisite for political development and economic growth. Security cannot be achieved only by securing the state, but also requires removing the threats faced by the vast majority of Afghan citizens.
Post-conflict peace building, stability and maintaining law and order in a country like Afghanistan is a difficult job not only for the Afghans themselves but for their US and NATO friends as well. Issues of insecurity, criminal economy, unemployment, growing insurgency and corruption are the matter of great concern.
As a security and stabilization force, the ISAF is still striving to bring peace to Afghanistan. Security in large swaths is to be improved by creating employment opportunities and people engagement in various activities.
In southern Afghanistan, the blame for the lack of security is falls on a number of heavily armed regional warlords and their subordinate militia commanders who assist the opponent forces against the government. A new US-supported ANP development program that was launched in 2005 aims to deploy a strong, fully trained, better-paid, and fully equipped police force but since than it seems that all the efforts made gone in vain.
The US led international community is working with the Afghan government on the issue of permanent peace process in Afghanistan. The importance of the police to Afghanistan's efforts to build state institutions is hard to overstate.
Consider revenue: Afghanistan currently raises not enough revenue to cover its budget, estimated by the United Nations as the lowest percentage in the world. Most of the unemployed are returning refugees from Pakistan and Iran, left stranded by the failure of the Afghan economy to pick up.
Others swelling the jobless ranks include school and university leavers. In view of all these governance challenges, the government of Afghanistan has intended to enforce the Taliban era strict Islamic laws. However, jobless and disappointed young and old people are joining the Taliban militia every month and every year, this is a growing concern for Coalition and the Afghan government.