I am interested in your opinion about the ability of Afghani women to take the lead in reform and reconciliation in Afghanistan given that male political leaders’ progress in this area is conditioned by suspicion, use of force, and the cultural given of male dominance. Is there a place for nonviolent, nonresistance — which would entail committed sacrifice on the part of women — to break the cycle of distrust?

The country has suffered a long history of violence and divisions, but the people, as a whole, apparently want reconciliation. A footnote in a 2005 document of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission notes this: “In the National Consultation on Transitional Justice conducted by AIHRC most people stated that the people are reconciled at the community level but there is a need for political reconciliation among the political leaders, which would it in itself help national unity and promotion of trust among different ethnicities in Afghanistan. Provincial and district assemblies would be the most suitable venue to achieve this goal in Afghanistan.”

Jan Swartzendruber, Global Good News Network (www.gn2.org)