On the cover of January's issue of Harper's Magazine, you'll find my latest investigative effort, "Disappearing Ink: Afghanistan's Sham Democracy."
Held on September 18, 2010, Afghanistan's parliamentary elections continue to drag on with no end in sight, as President Karzai threatens to annul the results of the election. While the specifics of who won and lost are a tangled morass of local outcomes, the general picture is that individuals with links to warlords and corrupt contractors strengthened their positions, while reformists and intellectuals were largely wiped out. Moreover, millions of Afghans were disenfranchised of their vote due to the ongoing violence which prevented voting stations from opening in many areas of the country.
My article goes in-depth both into the shadowy dealings behind the current election and the failed history of democracy building in post-2001 Afghanistan. The version on the Harper's website is only available to subscribers, but you can click here to download a PDF copy.