In Afghanistan, the real problem is bad government

It's easy to get depressed reading news out of Afghanistan. Insurgents are getting stronger, the U.S. is sending another 20,000 troops - and even Defense Secretary Bob Gates admits American soldiers aren't a long-term solution.

Sorting out these policy dilemmas, it helps to talk to Afghans such as Saad and Jahid Mohseni. The entrepreneurial brothers run a media business in the war zone of Kabul and they keep thinking of ways to adapt and survive.

I met the Mohseni brothers last April at the offices of their Moby Media Group in Kabul. We met again in Washington last week, and their comments convinced me many U.S. policymakers are misdiagnosing the danger in Afghanistan. What will destroy that country's experiment in democracy isn't the Taliban, but the lawlessness and corruption under the government of President Hamid Karzai.

The core issue is bad governance. The biggest threat is kidnappings by the criminal gangs destroying normal life in Kabul. "The resurgence of the Taliban is a result of the public's hunger for law and order," Saad Mohseni told me.

The Mohsenis came back home to build their business after the Taliban were overthrown in 2001. Through their main channel, Tolo TV, they began broadcasting shows that symbolized the new Afghanistan - from investigative reporting to a musical program called "Afghan Star."

A documentary chronicling the unlikely story of "Afghan Star" will be screened in January at the Sundance Film Festival. It describes the Mohseni brothers' nationwide talent search to find the best singer. This in a country where music itself had been forbidden by the Taliban and where, as the film's promotion kit says, "you risk your life to sing." Members of Afghanistan's diverse ethnic groups competed by crooning onstage. On the final night of the competition, 11 million people, or one-third of the population, watched.

The Mohsenis created other shows. One was "Laugh Bazaar," now in its third season, which features Afghan stand-up comedians. Then there's a show called "At Your Service Minister," based on the famous British series "Yes Minister," which mocks Kabul's government bureaucrats.

Inevitably, the Mohsenis' freewheeling programming upset Muslim conservatives, and when I met them in April, they were worried about a re-Talibanization of the airwaves. But that hasn't happened, and Tolo TV's success in negotiating a compromise with religious authorities gives me hope there's a similar way out of the larger Afghanistan mess.

What especially riled conservative Muslims were two Bollywood soap operas. They were pretty tame stuff, but they were Indian-made, which upset some Afghans. So the Mohsenis proposed a deal; rather than killing the popular Bollywood fare, they would add a new Turkish-produced serial called "Secret World" that was based on Islamic principles. That placated the religious authorities who make up the ulema - plus it was a hit with the public.

Sensing a market for Islamic programming, the Mohsenis launched a contest show to find the best reciter of the Koran to be judged by ... you guessed it ... a panel from the ulema. Another hit. So was the new "Hadith of the Day" spot, featuring nuggets of the Prophet Muhammad's wisdom.

The Mohsenis' story reminds me that Afghans are like anyone else. They want a normal life, with a decent income, a safe place to raise their kids, and good shows to watch on TV. Creating a secure environment may require 20,000 more U.S. troops, but the real breakthrough will be an Afghan government that protects its people rather than allowing criminal gangs to terrorize them.

Honestly now, a country that goes to bed watching "Laugh Bazaar" should not be condemned to permanent strife.

© 2008, Washington Post Writers Group