Reconstruction & Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Abstract

Gender issues are becoming politicized to the detriment of women in contexts where armed interventions usher in new blueprints for governance and “democratization.” Using illustrations from Afghanistan, this article shows that the nature of emerging political settlements may jeopardize stated international commitments to a women’s rights agenda, especially in contexts where security and the rule of law are severely compromised, where Islam becomes a stake in power struggles, and where ethnic/sectarian constituencies are locked in power struggles for representation in defence of their collective rights.