LEGITIMACY QUESTIONS AND THE AFGHAN ELECTION.

Spencer Ackerman is reporting that the Obama administration is considering its options in the face of the possibility that the result of the Afghan election could be illegitimate, as Afghanistan faces worries about voter fraud and low turnout in the face of Taliban threats and violence. The specter of illegitimacy is exacerbated by ethnic tensions--while many Pashtuns are disappointed with President Hamid Karzai's performance, they find his closest rival Abdullah Abdullah, unacceptable. Selig Harrison writes that many Pashtuns feel disenfranchised by the power wielded by Tajiks within the government anyway.

As to questions of legitimacy, Richard Holbrooke suggested during his briefing last week that "the international media" would play a large role in determining whether the elections in Afghanistan were legitimate. This is a convenient metric that enables the administration to pawn off potential election problems after the fact--there are clear and objective measurements for determining whether the election goes well, and the administration is using them to prepare for potential post-election turmoil. They include voter turnout, the amount/perception of fraud that occurs, and post-election violence or lack thereof.

-- A. Serwer