In Defense of Hamid Karzai
09.28.2010 at 09:53pm
Food for serious thought for the “dump Karzai” crowd – You would cry too: In defense of Hamid Karzai by Joshua Foust at Foreign Policy’s AFPAK Channel.
Foust is spot on!
what frustrates Karzai to the verge of tears is that the enormity and the difficulty of the task is overshadowed by the talk of his incompetence and corruption. In the popular opinion in the west, Hamid Karzai has turned into the image of corrupt governance and insecurity. This would enrage any dignified man who took the task of leading the country understanding that the world was aware of the enormity of the task. today, the world has forgotten the context and simply considers him as the problem
I argue that no-one is more concerned about the problems in the country than he is. But most people are forgetting the realities that he has to deal with and turning against him instead:
http://costofwar.wordpress.com/
I agree in that Foust lays out the bare facts concerning Karzai. One issue that has stood out in much of the commentary concerning Karzai in regards to corruption, election fraud, leadership, etc. is the lack of any viable alternative. That in and of itself makes a strong case in leaving well enough alone at this point in Afghan history.