Far too much Western attention already focuses on the "mechanics" of the Afghan election as the standard of legitimacy. Afghanistan is being judged by how much of the population can and will vote, whether the voting will be one live voter at a time, and whether the count will be accurate. "Mechanics" are important. Afghans need to perceive a country secure enough so most voters feel it is safe to vote. The count needs to be honest. There needs to be a sharp and visible contrast to what happened to the vote in Iran.

At the same time, the realities of Afghanistan are very different from those of Western democracies holding elections in peacetime. The nation is at war and UN maps show that the Taliban and other Jihadists pose a threat in roughly 40% of the country. No election can...