pilgrimage, and it's unlikely to stop soon. and don't forget you can keep up to date with the news and the day's top stories on the website. aljazeera.com. been contentious election. let's hear from afghans about their hopes for the road ahead with allegation rav ghani and what the u.s. is banking on this time around. ♪ my digital producer is

bringing all of your live feedback throughout the show. a lot of activity from our community on this topic. most think it's admirable to attempt unity government. they are also concerned about a rough road ahead for initially? >> a rough road ahead because afghanistan is besieged with challenges. it that fended off invades but the eternal struggles that seem to be overwhelming. we ask this: how far are wie from a truly independent afghanistan. you are asking heavy and loaded questions for people to respond to in just 140 characters but mohammed ashraf takes a staff against corruption. when power and more are more coveted, nations and empires fall from the weight of hubris. >> after six months of disputed election results, this week, afghanistan marks its first democratic transfer of power. in a lavish ceremony, ashra

ashrav ghani took office on monday. he appointed his rival, abdullah abdullah as chief executive. >> position similar to prime minister. in this bumpy road to a unity government made just the beginning of ghani's challenges according to experts. it is plagued by budget shortfalls, national security offices issues. the list goes on and on. security did seem to be at the top of ghani's prior ity list t keep thousands of american troops in the country beyond 2014. the move hinted at edesing tensions between kabul and washington since its predecessor refused to sign the bilateral security agreement. some what will it take to change the country's tragic narrative to one of economic, social and political access. what role thereafter ganingz including why i am and young

people play in the country's future. joining us is executive of direct programs. michael hanlon ex director of research. and from lahor pakistan, a journalist and author much several foreign policies books including "decent into chaos" thanks to all of you for being here. hamdela, this election was contested for six months. president ghani and doctor abdullah disagree on all kind of issues. the concept sounds good but what after gans have seen up until the inauguration is a complete lack of unity between the two. so what is the president's plan to change the public impression and convince after gans on both sides that progress is actually possible? >> well, yes.

it's been a difficult and bumpy road, but to us, it's a success because we just awarded a war. no one wants that. the unity government may not be what they wanted. they probably want add clear winner and that's why so many of them came out to vote. but the fact that it got in to a situation where we could have getten where afghanistan could have got into a war, we avoided that. >> shows despite the fact that the democracy is still now, it needs a lot of maturity but it showed that there is a lot of pragmatism on the part of both candidates to maybe sure that we move on and in a peaceful way. there are problems. there are hurdles with the unity government as there are anywhere else in the world but we hope that we will get them resolved in time. >> michael, westerners in

particular are acustom today a winner take all election scenario. is there more stability in a power sharing agreement particularly for a young democracy? >> you know, i think there could be. and i want to take my hat off to our afghan friends. i am a big admirer of how they resolve this process. we had an election where the two candidates were very focused on trying to win, which is normal. they both it thought they had won, which is not always so common, but when we have had problems like that in the united states, with all of our technology and our history of democracy, it's taken us a long time to resolve outcomes as in the twrou presidential race and we have a very dispew flirtatious political environment right now. i think after gangs have made a smart choice. my hats off to both, especially abdullah for accepting the outcome here when he is probably of the view when he should have won but he is going to do what's good for his country. i think to your point, the unity

government has some real promise so i am encouraged. i want to congratulate afghan friends on what they have been is able to get done in 2014. a long way to see go. >> we have afghan american expat did who weighed in and some great community thoughts. >> the question is the ability of the national unity government. i think it's too early to determine that. however, i am very much optimistic about it because i think that for a diverse country like afghanistan, there is an immense need for a balance of power within the government. and that's something the national unity government provides. >> here is one more from fristha? >> the question of whether or not afghanistan will divide or unite under the new government depends upon how dedicated two individuals are in bringing change to afghanistan. change comes from cooperation and not necessarily of egos. mr. abdullah and ghani must put the population before themselves.

failure to do so may cause a division within the afghan population. >> ama, you have covered afghanistan for decades. i read your books. you know all of the players. let's talk about ethnic sectarianism. the president, abdullah, is it possible for this new unity government to cure the ethnic sectarianism and strife in afghanistan? >> actually, it exer a bated the ethnic tensions in the country although the two leaders are quite moderate in their statements. some of their supporters have been very extreme in their statement and as somebody said, we have avoided a civil war which was very possible. but i think what is going to be happening now, we are all going to be watching very closely the formation of the cabinet and the first steps the government takes. if they are able to take important early steps and we have already seen, for example, the reopening of the corruption

case regarding the kabul bank, we have had a few appointments by president ghani. we haven't seen any appointments by doctor abdullah. i think critically, it is going to be the formation of the cabinet and how that ethnic balance is going to be worked out and played out over the next few days and weeks. >> hamdullah, president ghani was pretty quick to sign off on the bilateral security agreement keeping u.s. troops in afghanistan, presumably through the end of 2016. what do you say to the afghan citizens who do not necessarily want to seuoue u.s. troops stay the country beyond 2014? >> michael, why don't you pick up on that for us? >> sure. well, you know, obviously, afghans do have many different views and they are proud of air their own so fvereigsovereignty i think they want at a time back. however, i think they also recognize some limited amount of western and broader international help is smart. i think more are worried about the plan for the united states

and it's allies to leave in two years than the number who are upset that we are going to stay until then. the number i have spoken with anyway. in more taliban friendly parts, you may have a real antipathy against it foreigners but most of the afghan urban and political and economic elites i know and admittedly, it's a certain set up segment of society is backed up by public opinion polls. they want a continued international presence because they recognize they are a weak state, they need some limited amount of health going in to future. >> we asked the community what the thoughts are: it will only delay the inevitable. troops won't fix the real issues. jacqueline says we may actually be threatening our national security while trying to prevent f the it. >> how far afghanistan has come

since the fall of the taliban in 2001 and where it still needs to go. plus, she is considered one of the leading voices for young women in afghanistan, akbar, what female empowerment means and the democrittizing strengths of the digital face. >> kentucky, a state that's hurting economically. >> when the mines shut down it affects other businesses too you know, it hurts everything. >> some say it's time for a change. >> mitch has been in there so long. >> while others want to stay the course. >> all the way mitch! you know exactly what these people needs in kentucky. >> communities trying to cope. what does the future hold? >> the economy, the struggling coal industry and healthcare are all impacting their vote. >> "america votes 2014 / fed up in kentucky". all next week. only on al jazeera america.

>> i lived that character >> a hollywood icon forest whitaker >> my interest in acting was always to continue to explore how it connected to other people >> making a difference >> what is occurring in other places, is affecting so many different ways...

>> inspiring others >> we have to change those things, in order to make our whole live better >> every saturday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera, only on al jazeera america ♪. >> my name is rammanda. i am an independent journalist and political activist, and i am in the stream. flew. >> welcome back. we are discussing the future of afghanistan under the new president, ashraf begghani and young writer, your second trip to the show. thank you for joining us? >> thank you. it's good to see you again. nights to meet you. >> nice to have you back. you and your family left afghanistan when the taliban entered. you went back in 2001 and your family opened up a learning center for women there. now, the new president wants to

create an independent peace council and he wants the taliban at the table. how do you feel about that? >> you know, like most afghans, i am very torn about this issue because it's a very complex issue. i do think we should think deeply about what it means for our country. i do know that war is not circulating nurse stainable. we can't pay for it. we don't have enough troops oevenlt a small percentage are literate. women were less than 5,00069 afghan army. i don't know if we have the capability to continue to fight. however, as an afghan woman, i know the threat of the taliban. i see it on a daily basis. i am wonder what will happen to hundreds of afghan women who are working today, who are teaching, thousands, 30% of afghan, the teachners afghanistan are women. what's going to happen to them if the taliban are shareholders in the government. i hope that peace will not come at the cost of justice. >> should be a priority for this

government. we know that long-term peace cannot happen unless there is justice. >> does the solution with the taliban have to be political? >> yes. definitely. i mean this war cannot end with a victory by either side. it has to ends saz a political solution. remember for the last two or three years there have been efforts by president karzai, the former police departmeresident, and thet taliban. now, i believe that there is a moderate, if you like, within the taliban which understands that they can't win on the battlefield and that they need a political solution. the question is: how is president ghani and abdullah going to bolster that in and entice them in to a dialogue. at the moment, we have a raging taliban offensive, which is very strong in the south and in areas around kabul, a very dangerous

situation. i am just hoping in the next few months with winter coming and the fighting subsiding might be an opportunity here to reopen the so far, failed talks. i think there is a good opportunity even though at the moment the taliban is taking a very hard line against the newer government. >> we asked our community that question: what should the newly formed government do to curb extremism. i conic music said the minute taliban realize no one is a your enemy excepted yourself. provide turkish t.v. series there. it doesn't work in pakistan. azib azibas not as long as they don't bring the tabletable to the table, nothing will change. >> you are the advisor. how does the government plan on tackling the tabletable threat? >> let me be clear. i am not advisor on the security issues but as an afghan, ian

opinion and i think that the insurgency in afghanistan is multi-dimensional. there are a lot of factors that go in to it. one of them was the legitimacy of the government, itself. people didn't accept democracy as a legitimate form of government because they felt there was an important way of, i think i lost this connection. >> i think we are having a little bit of trouble again with hamdula's audio. michael, i want to switch directions here title. at the top of the show, i mentioned all of the major issues, any one of which would be enough to consume a government are facing afghanistan and its new leadership. we've got, you know, poverty and security issues. which do you think falls right now at the top of the list? >> that's an exlength question. i do -- i am encouraged by the quality of some of the people involved. in fact, ghani and abdullah are outstanding individuals, i think, in terms of their commitment to the country and cognitive abilities. obviously other people are

promising, the new national security advise or. >> that's going favorable. i am encouraged of by the reopening of the kabul bank investigation. i think fighting the culture of corruption is going to be crucial. i don't see how you can put that on the second or back burner because international aid is so important. but security has to be at the top of the list as well because for the reasons we have been discussing. the insurgency is very strong. we are going to have to find some way to reassure after gangs and the afghan army and police, no we are not going to lose this battle as nato troops draw sounds down so r578d in coming months and years. i think security has to be as close to the top as anything else. >> michael, you mentioned security. of our community is going to be talking about how do you security afghan women they will be secure in there are so many challenges the last 13 years. we asked our community, how can afghanistan's government ensure female education. to see of responses. if afghanistan calls itself an islamic state, it is their duty

to protect women's rights. loyal streamer says afghan needs to commute commit to its future. a football page for afghan women called free women writers, lisa. here is a video coming. give it a license. >> my hopes for afghan's women is that the women make and have a permanent place in society. with the assistance, guidance and participation of the first lady alongside the president, this is doable. there. be challenges faced along the way in a conservative and traditional nation. but this is definitely a site where it's fighting for, for a better tommy. >> i just outline some of the immense challenges that women, some of the most marginalized, can this new government overcome some of the biases to ensure women have a voice, women are empowered and there are month women rights? >> there is a long way to go. i will be the first to say afghans have a long way to go to gender equality or ensuring the very basic human rights. but i do think the new

government has done -- has already done some symbolic thinks that give hope to the afghans and the people of afghanistan. for example, the fact that the first lady was there when the president was there, running. she was there when he -- during his inauguration speech and he mentioned her in the speech and thanked her for supporting her. i think given any woman a chance to think maybe that this new government will be different in the way it treats women >> maybe see women as equals and provide them with more opportunities. of course, i am wary because this has happened before. we remember manlohan and his wife was given mon archy. she had powers to go with her for the position, and that didn't go so well. there was a lot of backlash so i think the government will have a very hard time balancing those two things, talking to both ensuring women's human rights and, also, talking to

insurgency, talking to taliban who are not so much in favor of women's human rights and then, i just want to point out here that the women's security must be -- i think security must be on the forefront of what's happening for discovery and i think women's security especially, we have lost so many female activists. we have lost female muse i female film makers. >> lots of female bloggers like yourself. >> that's true. >> we are almost out of town in this break but talk a little bit about how the blogosphere has been a political vehicle for women in afghanistan. you have led the way. you are prolific on your blogging. >> i think it's created space for women to speak out and -- about their rights. the other important thing is its allowed women to be anonymous which gives us illusion of security to some extent. i know of a blogger who was killed because of her blogging two years', her name was nosama and the case was immediately shut off.

nobody talked about it. so, i am glad to be given the opportunity to talk about it. however, theface facebook page is one that i run and question get submissions from women around the country. i have so far published about the works of 76 female sent to me from not just kabul but other areas. afghan women are using media, social media specifically to bring their voice to the forefront and they are also the platform, themselves, taking initiative to create platforms to raise their voices. an example is the news agency which does a lot of the work i do but in a more formal way. >> i want to talk more about that after the break. first, i want to thank our guests. ham dual a, you are sticking around. still ahead, they have grown up in war and may have most at stake. we will show you how afghantan's young people are mobilize to go

ensure a say in their country's future. ♪ side of the law >> they don't have the money to puchace their freedom... >> for some...crime does pay... >> the bail bond industry has been good to me.... i'll make a chunk of change off the crime... fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the door... ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... truth seeking... >> award winning, investigative, documentary series. chasing bail only on al jazeera america

♪ >> welcome back. we are discussing the future of afghanistan after the country experienced it's first democratic transfer of power this week. discussing how young people are leading change in the country,at almade sharrivei. thank you for being here. ham dulla, there was a very robust use of social media during thely. does president ghani plan on continuing that sort of interaction with afghans? if so, how? >> yeah. so social media here before the previous government used it as a

broadcast media mostly. it havenwasn't very interactive during campaign, our team used social media to not only interact with the electorate but, also, to get their feedback on how it should be done, what should the government policies be and we continue. we want to continue that so that we can get oofr policy that gets done, we want to see what the reaction is and then make it fit around that. one of the example is the latest news on both bsa and the kabul bank case. we analyze what the feedback is and give back to it. also, there is a scorecard. campaign keeps its own scorecard to the promises it made during campaign and campaign platform and through social media. we want to deliver those messages to say these are

campaign so we can set a trend that whatever promises are made during campaign, the population can expect that they be actually delivered and in terms of action point. >> here is ghani's twitter page. he signs his own tweets with a g and we ask our community: how can young afghans steer the future of afghanistan. he said they first need to invest in education, security and economic enhancement. afghan youth are the ones that are disparately suffering and creating opportunities for youth x. development of skill, educational programs with sent % under the age of 25, ghani mist insure they are at the centers of economic development. therefore so many challenges the u.s. is planning to give about

two-thirds of after beganstan from foreign funding. we read they need $7,000,000,000 annually to sustain its government. with all of these challenges how can the government economically empower afghan youth? 70% are under the age of 25? >> we trust our president and the national unity government. >> that's why everyone went out to vote for the plans and as we discussed with the president their priorities for jobs security free of crux. so we strongly believe we are in the fight againstruptioin. we will be able to start working with the national resources, a rich country with minerals and all of the natural resources. through that, reforms in

creating jobs i am sure that afghanistan can continue on campaign promises. >> this concept of christian was brought up and what an issue it is for afghanistan to deal with. part of creating the society that you and ghani and the rest of the administration want is to have a system where the government can be held responsible. >> that's key to a civil society. what do you think mechanisms is or perhaps what is mechanisms that president ghani would like to put in place to have that government accountability if it doesn't seem to exist in previous administrations? >>? >> like i said earlier, campaign, the promises that were made, one of them was curbing out corruption and that's parts of the scorecard that we are maintaining. so when we would be doing reports on this and getting use to the idea that people give

feedback on how bad it is, there is going to be a call center where people can report corruption. clearly specifying no one can misuse government or his own name or any kind of trol him to do anything in the government so the reports are the population is going to come back with a complete that they register against any officials. there will be quick action against them and hopefully in time, people will realize that there is no way around it, that it has to end. corruption has to end. >> less that a minute left in the is show. what do you have to see from president ghani and from president abdullah to feel confident this new government has a chance at creating meaningful change for afghans? >> i hope to see they will invest notice empowerment of afghan women. >> that's essential when women are empowered economically they do better politically and have

more say than their families and they will continue to the development of afghanistan. every study shows women are given equal opportunity in the economy of the country. there is no way things can change. we know that. >> should be a priority. >> thanks to our guests until next time, waj and i will see you online. >> let us bow our heads for a word of prayer. our father and our most gracious god. as this family, the murdough family and their friends, as they gather, we ask that you send your comforter, your holy spirit, your guide, to be with them.