The Democracy Training Program (DTP) being conceived and coordinated by the Policy Institute for Religion and State (PIFRAS) in partnership with a consortium of US organizations, aims to identify and train potential political and administrative leaders from Afghanistan. These would be young to mid career professionals and political workers who would be identified through in-country government and other sources.  Such a selected group of men and women will be brought to Washington DC for an intensive 4 month training program whose specific purpose would be two fold:

1. To expose them to basic democratic principles and processes necessary for them to carry out their duties as public officials or professionals in civic administration, and

2. To enable them to use this knowledge to lay the intellectual and institutional foundations for managing the transition of Afghanistan into a multi-ethnic, pluralist democracy.

Participants will be selected in batches by an in-country team in consultation with international agencies, and leaders of the Pashtun, Tajik, Hazar, Uzbek and other minor ethnic groups such as Aimaks, Turkmen, and Balochi communities.  The training includes 144 hours of intensive classroom instruction in the process of democracy which includes history of the United States, democratic foundations of a civil society, patterns of democracy, human rights and personal freedoms, and common problems of a democratic society. The training also includes over 200 hours of internships in congressional offices, plus field trips to key sites and institutions within the United States and participation in group projects.

The Art of Governance Program seeks to introduce the Afghan people to the fundamental principles of democracy. The current political process in Afghanistan shows a people willing to learn and remain open to new ideas.  Ideas which will catapult their country into a democratic world which recognizes societies and governments established for personal freedom despite ethnic or religious backgrounds.

The openness in which the majority of Afghan people have received the western world is a healthy start to the integration of democratization.   The Institute for the Art of Governance will expose a select group of Afghan citizens to myriad issues, laws, and challenges which face citizens who choose to govern within a democratic model.  In addition these citizens will be afforded ample opportunities to observe democratic proceedings and witness first-hand the practical application of democratic principles within the confines of American society.

Self-rule and equal representation for the Afghan people will come about with the ongoing assistance of the United States government and organizations such as the Institute for the Art of Governance.  An ongoing awareness by America of the unique ethnic and religious landscape of Afghanistan and a sincere desire to see democratic governance within this country will insure a successful democratic transition.  This transition if vigorously supported by the western world will transform a country long oppressed to a country free to practice democracy within a culture long noted for its cultural diversity.