| ID | 144165 |
| Title Proper | Press and ethnic polarization in post-2001 Afghanistan |
| Other Title Information | the 2014 presidential election experience |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Sahar, Arif ; Sahar, Aqila |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article analyses the contents of three newspapers affiliated with the Tajik-dominated Jamiat and Shura-e-Nezar factions that were deployed during the 2014 presidential election to publicize ethno-political polarization for instrumental ends. The practice of nurturing ethnic identities serves as a microcosm of the broader context in which identity politics, besides coalition-building, rent-seeking, and patrimonial interdependencies, has become a key feature of post-2001 politics. This article focuses on how these factions used these newspapers to polarize ethnic cleavages to win legitimacy for themselves and defamation for their Pashtun-dominated rival factions – Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin and the Taliban. It will be years before the ethnic mujahedeen and muhajereen and the new generation reach a mutually binding and working condition that facilitates the country's long-term stability. Reaching this condition is critical because the future of Afghanistan lies in the commitment of its people to form a united community that resolves disputes in the manner of a democratic nation. |
| `In' analytical Note | Central Asian Survey Vol. 35, No.1; Mar 2016: p.105-120 |
| Journal Source | Central Asian Survey Vol: 35 No 1 |
| Key Words | Ethnicity ; Conflict ; Election ; Identity ; Press ; Ethnic Grievance |