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Press and ethnic polarization in post-2001 Afghanistan: the 2014 presidential election experience

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  • Arif Sahar
  • Aqila Sahar

Abstract

This article analyses the contents of three newspapers affiliated with the Tajik-dominated Jamiat and Shura-e-Nezar factions that were deployed during the 2014 presidential election to publicize ethno-political polarization for instrumental ends. The practice of nurturing ethnic identities serves as a microcosm of the broader context in which identity politics, besides coalition-building, rent-seeking, and patrimonial interdependencies, has become a key feature of post-2001 politics. This article focuses on how these factions used these newspapers to polarize ethnic cleavages to win legitimacy for themselves and defamation for their Pashtun-dominated rival factions – Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin and the Taliban. It will be years before the ethnic mujahedeen and muhajereen and the new generation reach a mutually binding and working condition that facilitates the country's long-term stability. Reaching this condition is critical because the future of Afghanistan lies in the commitment of its people to form a united community that resolves disputes in the manner of a democratic nation.

Suggested Citation

  • Arif Sahar & Aqila Sahar, 2016. "Press and ethnic polarization in post-2001 Afghanistan: the 2014 presidential election experience," Central Asian Survey, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 105-120, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ccasxx:v:35:y:2016:i:1:p:105-120
    DOI: 10.1080/02634937.2015.1063234
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