Digging Up Dark Memories

Like a scene out of Cambodia or Rwanda, mass graves are being discovered throughout the war-torn landscape of Afghanistan. The Washington Post is reporting that several members of the international aid community have unearthed 88 sites across Afghanistan filled with the remains of political dissidents and outspoken civilians from first the communist regime and then the Taliban rule. With the gruesome discovery of these mass graves many Afghans are pushing for the investigation and prosecution of those responsible. However, this task is difficult because of a lack of motivation by the national government and its local authorities. While the fledgling Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has attempted to direct the recovery effort, their task remains challenging and stalled. The impact has created quite a stir in the foreign policy blogosphere.