Afghanistan: An uneasy peace

Source: 
The Nation
In January, Hamid Karzai, chairman of the Afghan interim administration, quietly signed the "Declaration of Essential Rights of Afghan Women."
This declaration guarantees equality between men and women, equal protection under the law, equal right to education in all disciplines, freedom of movement, freedom of speech and political participation, and freedom to wear or not wear the burqa or any form of head covering.

After five years of Taliban oppression, the worst in the world for women, such freedoms are heartening indeed. Their exercise, however, depends on certain conditions--not least of which is basic security--that do not currently exist in Afghanistan.