Mike Pouraryan
Afghanistan: A failed state
In an article in today's New York Times, Thomas Scheweich talked about the state of affairs in Afghanistan today. I have reported and commented on Afghanistan over the last number of weeks. I have also been frustruated because it appears that everyone wants to think about the conventional solutions to this swampland. No one seems to realize that Afghanistan is not Iraq. Our political leaders seem to think so.
I was jumping with joy when Scheweich confirmed what I had suspected for the longest time. I not only wrote about it recently, but for quite a while in my other writings. The bottom line for me is this: Karzai is a liar and a cheat. I see him in the same light like Ahmad Chalabi, the charlatan that sold the bill of good that is now Iraq. I can't understand how Karzai can run away from his record. He has been the so-called President. Yet, under his watch, Opium production is the highest in the world. The Taliban have sway over 70% of the country. Corruption is rampant. NGO's are not safe and under attack. Scheweich noted that Karzai has protected the bosses for political reasons and has not pressed for accountability. To me, it is simply because he has no spine. He can be bellicose and go out there and blame Pakistan. Yet, his own brother is reportedly one of the biggest arms dealers and drug runners. He is a credible guy to talk about this, because he served as the Counter-Narcotics Officer in Afghanistan and had first hand knowledge of this debacle.
Afghanistan is close to being a failed state. I say this simply because Karzai can't even control Kabul if it wasn't for NATO troops. He's being protected by U.S. security contractors. I have read that even his own ministers have to be searched before going in to see him. The Indian Embassy bombing is just one example. This misguided notion that somehow more troops are going to solve the problem is simply not addressing the viability of the long-term strategy. For instance, 20 billion was secured in aid during a recent conference in Afghanistan. The problem is giving it to the Afghans. Yes, there is a stable currency. Yes, apparently the National Army is out there taking the fight to the Taliban. But, the bureaucracy that is supposed to serve the people day in and day out is the problem. Who is the head of that Bureaucracy? Hamid Karzai. He seems to think everything is great. I guess he has no choice but to think that. If it was otherwise, he would probably have the rug pulled from under him by the Bush Administration tomorrow.
I was jumping with joy when Scheweich confirmed what I had suspected for the longest time. I not only wrote about it recently, but for quite a while in my other writings. The bottom line for me is this: Karzai is a liar and a cheat. I see him in the same light like Ahmad Chalabi, the charlatan that sold the bill of good that is now Iraq. I can't understand how Karzai can run away from his record. He has been the so-called President. Yet, under his watch, Opium production is the highest in the world. The Taliban have sway over 70% of the country. Corruption is rampant. NGO's are not safe and under attack. Scheweich noted that Karzai has protected the bosses for political reasons and has not pressed for accountability. To me, it is simply because he has no spine. He can be bellicose and go out there and blame Pakistan. Yet, his own brother is reportedly one of the biggest arms dealers and drug runners. He is a credible guy to talk about this, because he served as the Counter-Narcotics Officer in Afghanistan and had first hand knowledge of this debacle.
Afghanistan is close to being a failed state. I say this simply because Karzai can't even control Kabul if it wasn't for NATO troops. He's being protected by U.S. security contractors. I have read that even his own ministers have to be searched before going in to see him. The Indian Embassy bombing is just one example. This misguided notion that somehow more troops are going to solve the problem is simply not addressing the viability of the long-term strategy. For instance, 20 billion was secured in aid during a recent conference in Afghanistan. The problem is giving it to the Afghans. Yes, there is a stable currency. Yes, apparently the National Army is out there taking the fight to the Taliban. But, the bureaucracy that is supposed to serve the people day in and day out is the problem. Who is the head of that Bureaucracy? Hamid Karzai. He seems to think everything is great. I guess he has no choice but to think that. If it was otherwise, he would probably have the rug pulled from under him by the Bush Administration tomorrow.
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