This Sunday, Afghans head to the polls to elect a government that barely governs their country. Just 36 percent of Afghanistan’s 398 districts are firmly under central control, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy. Taliban militants control 13%, and a vast 50% are still contested. Seventeen years after the United States invaded Afghanistan to uproot Al-Qaeda, drive out the Taliban, and establish a new national government, the country’s political situation is as fraught and fragile as ever.
