Developments in Afghanistan

According to the RFE-RL Daily Afghan Report (link will vanish), the U.S. and UN differ about whether to hold elections this June as planned. The UN wants to delay for six to twelve months until the security situation improves. The U.S. wants to plow ahead with the existing timetable. (I'm cynical enough to believe that President Bush's re-election is a major factor in the U.S. timetable.) The next step, however, is to produce a constitution. I do see as good the fact that the U.S. plans to set up bases closer to the front in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

UPDATE: IWPR gives an account of some developments at the constitutional loya jirga. Thw three main changes to previous drafts are weakening the Presidency, removing references to the UN Declaration on Human Rights, and specifying that women are citizens. There are several more articles still under discussion, such as whether Shi'ites should be allowed to use Shi'ite Islamic law.