Last week, we discussed how the Taliban stopped crime in Herat, Afghanistan by hanging four kidnappers from construction cranes. Two weeks ago, we discussed how gangs in Haiti are kidnapping people off the streets and taking over cities. This time last year, both Afghanistan and Haiti were republics; now they are both chiefdoms. If they both followed similar paths, why are their situations so different today?
Last year, Afghanistan was a republic, run by elected officials. It was overthrown by the Taliban, an organization which is basically a chiefdom (a society run by a chieftain). Nation-state governments (republics) don’t normally lose wars to chiefdoms, but this republic was propped-up by its western allies. When the allies left, so did the republic. Last year, Haiti was also a republic, though not a stable one. A presidential assassination sent it into freefall. Now gangs (i.e., chiefdoms) run rampant through the cities. Both nations fell two societal levels in a year, though with regard to order, Afghanistan is stable whereas Haiti is in chaos.
The comparison highlights that even within a societal level, there is a range of development. Nation-states range from democracies to dictatorships. Likewise, chiefdoms range from advanced ones to immature ones. The Taliban are highly functioning, on the verge of becoming a fiefdom (they call themselves an emirate, which is the next level up—a type of fiefdom). Haiti, on the other hand, barely functions above a tribal level.
The path forward for these two countries is similar, though. In Afghanistan, two Taliban factions are vying for control. One has to ultimately win-out before it can become a real emirate. In Haiti, a single authority has to impose order. It could be a reformed central government, or it could one of the gangs that rises to dominate the others. Until this happens, Haiti will remain a quagmire. Neither country was ready to be a republic, though they both struggled for years to be one. Now, becoming a fiefdom (an emirate, a kingdom) is a more realistic goal and a better fit for them.