Source: Faculti
In a recent Faculti interview, Dr. Bashir Mobasher tackles the complexities of choosing a federal or unitary system for Afghanistan. Dr. Mobasher, co-author of the article "Deproblematizing the Federal-Unitary Dichotomy" (with Dr. Mohammad Qadam Shah), argues that these concepts have become politicized, misunderstood, and ultimately ethnicized.
Traditionally, federalism has been conceptualized as the disintegration of the country and, therefore, unacceptable for Pashtuns while unitarism has been associated with ethno-authoritarianism, and thus undesirable for non-Pashtuns.
However, Dr. Mobasher highlights an interesting finding. When discussing the underlying institutions and values of each system, ethnic groups show surprising consensus. For instance, there is broad agreement that an elected governor and provincial council with more decision-making authority is preferable to centrally appointed officials with little to no power.
Article: https://academic.oup.com/publius/article-abstract/52/2/225/6511336 (access may require login)
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