That Afghanistan Election
| Mon Jun. 29, 2009 7:20 AM PDT
Kevin is off until Tuesday. I'm blogging for him until then.
As I noted recently, keep your eye on Afghanistan's ongoing presidential election. From AFP:
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday criticised the US ambassador's presence at a meeting calling for a decentralisation of his government, adding he would fight such moves "tooth and nail".
Karzai said ambassador Karl Eikenberry's attendance at a press conference this month, where a leading rival to the president in the August 20 elections had called for the change, was deeply sensitive and "raises concerns".
This was especially because of recent US and British media reports of plans laid in "Washington and in London to bring a change into the structure of governance in Afghanistan to weaken the central government of Afghanistan," Karzai said.
There's been plenty of tension between the Obama administration and Karzai. At his first White House press conference, President Obama noted that Karzai's government was "very detached" from the rest of the country. That was quite a slam.
Since then--especially when Obama unveiled his strategic review concerning Afghanistan and Pakistan--the White House has tried to downplay its dissastisfaction with Karzai. But Karzai is accutely aware of it. And now he's making it part of his reelection strategy. This might help him. His government has been plagued by corruption and incompetence. But there's a lot of popular anger at the United States military for its bombing assaults, which kill innocent civilians, and its raids on homes, which humiliate and intimidate Afghans. If Karzai holds on to power by playing the anti-USA card, it will not make Obama's already difficult job in Afghanistan any easier.
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Comments
Actually, anything that
Submitted by B on Mon Jun. 29, 2009 8:08 AM PDT.
Actually, anything that gives more credibility to the Afghan government will be helpful to Obama (as long as that government isn't controlled by the Taliban and they maintain a relationship (however strained) with the US.) If I was in Obama's shoes, I'd be quietly encouraging Karzai to throw a few punches or even throw a shoe (I'd also avoid describing him as the mayor of Kabul.)
Negotiating troop withdrawals and condemning some US contractor and US military actions certainly helped the Iraqi government.
Whatever the president's
Submitted by tpx on Mon Jun. 29, 2009 10:07 AM PDT.
Whatever the president's difficult job in Afghanistan is, only he knows. He does not seem to have any difficulty bombing villagers or sending in more troops to kill more villagers. He also would have no difficulty withdrawing the US troops from Afghanistan. All he needs to do is sign the order. On the other hand, if the president wants to persuade the Afghan people to love the occupation, renounce their provincialism, denounce their religious leaders, give up their only source of income, let their children starve and/or let their children become play things of the war lords, then, yes, the president's job in Afghanistan is going to be difficult, if not impossible, unless he kills many more tens of thousands of Afghans, which he seems capable of doing with little effort on his part. President Obama will probably overcome his difficulties in Afghanistan as easily as president W. Bush did.
Afghanistan Election
Submitted by ramin (not verified) on Tue Aug. 11, 2009 5:30 AM PDT.
i am Afghan citizen, i am really hate Karzia president because karzia is a symbul person he is foolish man i think USA Obama must out this person from Afghanistan presidential palace and he is also one of the Gourg Bush party i wish to Obama out Karzia for every
evry people in AFghanistan not happy from Karzia no one support karzia.
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