Ambassador Hans Klemm, the coordinating director of rule of law and law enforcement in Afghanistan, spoke to an audience that included many military personnel Friday at the Clinton School.
Introduced by Clinton School student Andrew Morgan (’12), Klemm spoke of his experiences helping the Afghan government put into place a democratic society so as to raise the livelihood of its citizenry. Klemm is the former U.S. Ambassador to East Timor.
Klemm’s position was created in 2010 to better coordinate the military and civilian efforts to put into practice a system of law and justice in Afghanistan.
According to Klemm, the No. 1 factor undermining the justice efforts in Afghanistan is the production and trafficking of narcotics. Afghanistan currently leads the world in the trafficking of opium and cannabis.
An additional concern is that one-quarter of Afghanistan’s districts lack a judge, while one-third of the districts lack a sitting prosecutor, Klemm said.
Klemm sees these statistics as vital to preventing the implementation and spread of the Rule of Law.
Klemm said the United States’ efforts include an attempt to strengthen the legitimacy of the Afghan government while also working within the informal systems and mechanisms that are currently in place. He stated that many people currently do not know how the formal system works, leading to confusion and indifference.
Securing a fair justice system in Afghanistan is high on America’s list of priorities. The largest presence of FBI agents, DEA agents, Attorneys General, and Department of Homeland Security agents overseas are currently in Afghanistan, Klemm said.
Klemm noted that developing the skills necessary to implement the Rule of Law will take time, and he stressed the importance of the Afghan government taking ownership of incorporating their system of justice.
*This post was written by Clinton School student Veena Rangaswami (’13).