One wishes the press (domestic and international alike) communicated exactly what President Karzai discussed in his recent conference. And that they did the same thing with our partners statements. But they dont and, instead, portray the situation as bleak, precarious, deadlocked... Essentially, the President makes a few modest, legitimate requests in return for signing the BSA. Yes, the US cannot immediately deliver the Taliban to the negotiating table, but the country -- together with the support of our many allies and institutions like UN, IMF, and WB -- can use a number of sticks and carrots at its disposal to encourage one Pakistani institution to take a few initial, concrete steps towards what I call institutionalization of peace in Afghanistan. While current NATO officials wouldnt contradict the stated policies of their governments, many former US and NATO ambassadors that I know and have talked to recently agree with the basic demands of the President. They do so based on a long-term view of the situation shaped by many mistakes made and repeated over and over again in the past. Indeed, they have recovered (e.g. US from Vietnam or USSR/Russia from Afghanistan), but nations like us have further descended into violence and uncertainty. As the President notes several times, he is pragmatic and understands the importance of signing a BSA, but one that should equitably serve the interests of both sides, for Afghanistan has signed way too many agreements in the past and then ended up being the loser. We must not forget that victims of international/regional politics communicate differently from their temporary patrons, and President Karzai is to be credited for doing just that in the best long-term interest of Afghanistan and the American people... --------- President Karzais Press Conference - Jan 25, 2014 https://youtube/watch?v=mUy38L51hJo
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 12:13:10 +0000
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