Restoring internal security is an essential condition for nation-building in Afghanistan, where local warlords continue to defy the authority of the central government. It is welcome news, therefore, that the international community has pledged new aid for an Afghan program to disarm those chieftains and their soldiers, estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands, and reintegrate them into Afghan society.
The Tokyo Conference on Consolidation of Peace in Afghanistan, held last week with the participation of more than 30 donor countries and 10 international institutions, pledged an initial contribution of $50 million to that program, known as Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. Japan is to provide most of that amount. The U.N. Development Program says it will cost $135 million to complete the process in three years.
Achieving DDR, as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in his speech, is an essential step in bringing peace and civility to a country ravaged by two decades of war. That is why the Tokyo meeting on "consolidating peace" is of crucial importance. Donor nations need to stay focused on Afghanistan so that steady flows of aid can be maintained.