Edging toward democracy: Afghanistan is holding its first presidential, election this month, even as it struggles to rebuild after 25 years of war and oppression.

The male voter-registration team waited on the terrace for the last stragglers. In three days, they had registered almost the entire male population of voting age in Chashmai Maiwand, a 300-household village in southern Afghanistan. But things were going more slowly for the female team.

The three women stepped down from their jeep in identical pale-blue burkas--head-to-toe garments worn for modesty--and swept quickly out of view into the women's quarters of a house. In Afghanistan's conservative Muslim districts, women are rarely allowed to leave home, so the female team must visit most households individually.

And when the women receive their voter-registration cards, a question remains: Will their husbands allow them out of the house long enough to vote?

A ROLE FOR ISLAM

Registering women is just one of the challenges posed by Afghanistan's first presidential election. A new constitution combining Islamic and democratic principles provides for the election of a President and a two-chamber Parliament, and the recognition, at least officially, of women as equal citizens. By September, 9 million Afghans had registered for the balloting, which was scheduled for October 9.

But even as voters of the newly named Islamic Republic of Afghanistan prepared to cast their first ballots, most were still living on less than a dollar a day, and their country struggled to rebuild after 25 years of war and oppression.

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and fought a 10-year war against guerrillas called mujahedeen. The U.S. saw the mujahedeen as allies in the Cold War struggle with the Soviets and backed them with $2 billion.

THE TALIBAN AND AL QAEDA

When the Soviets withdrew in 1989, the U.S. cut its involvement and Afghanistan descended into civil war, with different factions battling for power. In 1996, the Taliban, a brutally strict Islamic group, gained control. They ruled for five years, providing a haven for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden.

In retaliation for the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. launched air strikes against Al Qaeda camps along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan in October 2001. Within a month, a ground campaign had toppled the Taliban regime, and Hamid Karzai became interim President in December. The U.S. and its allies promised to help rebuild the country and establish democracy. Remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda hid along the mountainous 1,500-mile Pakistan border, where bin Laden is also believed to be in hiding.

Karzai has said that regional warlords and their militiamen, some of whom traffic in illegal drugs and weapons, may be the greatest danger facing Afghanistan. A program to disarm the militias and form a national army has caused some factions to bitterly oppose Karzai's bid for President.

At least 400 Afghans have died in violence this year, including attacks by Taliban insurgents determined to halt the election. In June, suspected Taliban fighters executed 14 unarmed men in Uruzgan because they had registered to vote. The next day, a bomb exploded on a bus carrying female election workers in Jalalabad, killing two women.

CAN DEMOCRACY TAKE HOLD?

Security concerns have prompted several postponements of the presidential and parliamentary elections, and NATO forces are helping the 18,000 U.S. troops maintain security.

Despite the tense atmosphere, there are signs of economic progress. In April, Afghanistan held an international business conference designed to attract investors, and a $40 million Hyatt hotel is being built in Kabul.

But can democracy take hold when so many people still lack basic necessities? According to Karzai, it will take time for democracy to become part of the culture.

"Democracy is something for me that comes from the people, and in Afghan society, the structure that we have is related to the decision by the people," he said. "As long as we get that, I'll be happy."

EDGING TOWARD DEMOCRACY

Afghanistan's presidential election is a first step on the road to democracy. But the nation faces many other challenges.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand the background to current events in Afghanistan, specifically how its long history of war, occupation, poverty, and subjugation of women may affect efforts to bring about democracy.

ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION: Identify and discuss the following points:

* After spending $2 billion to help the mujahedeen fight the Soviet invaders, the U.S. abandoned its involvement in Afghanistan. Did the U.S. have an obligation to continue its assistance to try to ameliorate the effects of the civil-war violence that ensued? Ask students to suggest a few pros and cons.

* After the fall of the Taliban, the U.S. promised to rebuild Afghanistan and establish a democracy there. Ask why the U.S. wants to build democracy in Afghanistan. (One reason: to deny terrorists a base of operations.)

* Remnants of the Taliban have attacked election officials and people registering to vote. What is their goal? (One possibility: The Taliban's goal is to thwart democracy with the hope of getting back into power.)

WRITING: "Edging Toward Democracy" reports that in conservative Muslim districts, Afghan women are rarely allowed to leave home. (You might also tell students that there is concern even in cities like Kabul that many husbands may not allow their wives to vote.)

Assign students to work together in small groups to design and write poster-size signs that explain (1) the importance of free elections and (2) why women should be included in the election process.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* Afghan President Hamid Karzai says it will take time for a solid democratic structure to become part of the Afghan culture. What does the article imply are cultural impediments to democracy in Afghanistan?

* How would you describe life in Afghanistan today?

WEB WATCH: www.cia.gov. The CIA provides a variety of data on Afghanistan. Click on "The World Factbook" and go to "Afghanistan."

Carlotta Gall is a foreign correspondent for The New York Times based in Kabul; additional reporting by David Rohde and Amy Waldman.