Afghanistan and its futures

Abstract

Critically, evaluating the way the 'local' is consulted in post-conflict efforts towards reconciliation is of utmost importance under these strenuous circumstances. There is a tendency in transitional justice efforts to contain the discussion of the local within religious and cultural parameters in the Global South, thus engaging only with a 'static local', as interpreted by certain local stakeholders (Canefe, 2019). Instead, attention must be paid to a 'dynamic local' where societal norms evolve, and realities on the ground are shaped by shifting power dynamics, local hierarchies and inequalities between actors. The local must be understood as an inter-subjective concept, the meaning of which is not only evolving but is also dependent on who is consulted to construct and interpret it.In addition, this brings us to the issue of the displaced and the dispossessed and their role concerning the future of the country. VIC TIMS A S P OLITIC AL SUBJEC TSIn Afghanistan, reconciliation has long been promoted as a nation-building strategy. However, the implementation of transitional justice measures poses distinct challenges. Specifically, the analysis of the present situation in Afghanistan poses critical questions concerning whether victims and survivors can be considered as a legitimate part of the country's past and its future. Throughout four decades of conflict, the people of Afghanistan have witnessed disappearances, torture, mass executions, civil conflict, internal displacement and en masse forced migration to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and several other countries. Almost every Afghan has a personal story of struggle, suffering, survival and loss to tell. Despite the scale and length of the violence, however, there has been no accountability for past crimes in any phase of ongoing warfare. Since the signing of the Bonn Agreement in 2001, 2 no concerted efforts have been made by the Government of Afghanistan to implement a process of transitional