ABSTRACT
As long as conflicts are resolved by military means, it is military might and not political support that will decide matters in Afghanistan. This is most clearly seen in the withering away after 1992 of the parties that had no strong military organization or external sources of supply.22 In a sense, this is the 'silent majority' theme revisited: it is the few who possess the military means to enforce their claims who get heard, there is no space where the population is heard, and political change becomes hostage to the manipulation of military-political leaders who are hardly accountable to anyone. The current domination of military power in politics fosters a vicious circle of violence that needs to be broken, yet military forces continue to enjoy foreign support, while any group opposing the continued violence is unable to make itself heard.
