Excluding Commanders

The BBC reports that over a dozen militia leaders will be barred from running in Afghanistan's Parliamentary elections next month. This move arises from the fear that even if they don't interfere directly during the election, the influence of armed groups has an intimidating effect on voters. This is probably true - I've argued it before, during the Presidential election - but I don't think this move will do much to solve the problem, as the commanders can simply use puppets to overcome the regulations. Also, check out the last few paragraphs to see just how large a role the U.S. is still playing in Afghanistan. I pass no judgement on this one way or the other, but it's the sort of thing we should be aware of.