Ghani (left) and Abdulllah (right) – File photo
Michael Hughes: Legitimacy has long been king in Afghanistan. Without political legitimacy, there is chaos. This may be true in most countries but, as per history, the correlation in Afghanistan is stronger than in most. Hence, it is no accident that Afghanistan has been mired in civil war since the delicate ethno-sectarian-tribal balance was disrupted in the 1970s.
On March 9, the de facto divide in Kabul became literal when Abdullah Abdullah proclaimed himself president of Afghanistan alongside the technically-elected Ashraf Ghani.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has established shadow governance over almost half the country, which was much more straightforward in realizing because it did not require the casting and counting of ballots.