U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry鈥檚 shuttle diplomacy in Kabul this weekend paved the way to resolving Afghanistan鈥檚 current election crisis, while helping to establish a potential framework for addressing more-enduring problems embedded in that country鈥檚 political system. In so doing, Kerry鈥檚 effort fortified Afghanistan鈥檚 ability to overcome future political challenges with less dependence on U.S. intervention and support. Despite the successful deal-making, however, Afghanistan continues to face major challenges.
Kerry鈥檚 trip proved essential for resolving the immediate crisis caused by Abdullah Abdullah鈥檚 refusal to accept that his rival, Ashraf Ghani, had overcome a weak first-round showing to surge ahead of Abdullah in last month鈥檚 second-round ballot without the help of serious electoral fraud in Ghani鈥檚 favor. Abdullah already believed that fraud had robbed him of the presidency in the 2009 Afghan national elections.