Afghan Election Uncertainty Ends
Posted November 2nd, 2009 at 12:29pm in American Leadership 
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Now that the November 7th run-off election in Afghanistan has been canceled and Hamid Karzai announced the official winner of the August 20th election, President Obama should end the uncertainty surrounding the future of U.S. engagement in the region and announce a strategy for moving forward in Afghanistan.
The ongoing public debate about Afghanistan has already cost the U.S. credibility with its NATO allies and is confusing our regional partners who are starting to hedge their bets and plan for a decreased U.S. commitment to the region. As well-known Pakistan expert Ahmed Rashid commented on October 27th in an article in the National Interest, “Every sign of the United States or NATO dithering over strategy only convinces the Pakistani military about keeping its Taliban option open.”
The U.S. and its international partners must prevail on President Karzai to do things differently in his second term, including taking immediate steps that demonstrate he is serious about reining in corruption. He also must distance himself from war lords and those associated with narco-trafficking and establish a cabinet of competent ministers who can work effectively with the U.S. and NATO in bringing development and reconstruction to the Afghan people.
The flawed election was a set-back to international efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. However, the stakes for U.S. national security in the region are far too high to allow the imperfect elections to cause us to scale back the mission there.
Obama’s Afghan strategy should provide U.S. military commanders on the ground with the resources they need to fight a successful counterinsurgency campaign against the Taliban. Depriving our commanders of the resources they require is a recipe for failure.
A return of Taliban rule to the country would establish Afghanistan as a base for international terrorists to pursue their destructive agenda, including destabilizing nuclear-armed Pakistan and conducting terrorist strikes across the globe.
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2 Responses to “Afghan Election Uncertainty Ends”
Freedom of Speech TX on November 2nd, 2009 at 12:29pm said:
It will be interesting tomorrow to see how much corruption is found during our elections in New Jersey and Virginia.
Just look for Daffy Duck’s signature on a voter registration and you will know that the same corrupt un-American cast of characters and groups are up to the “same-ole” again.
Voter Registration Fraud and Multiple Voting should be an “ENFORCED FELONY” no matter the age – with an “ENFORCED PUNISHMENT of $100,000 fine and 5 years with no parole.
People pooh pooh this away every time.
Voting fraud eats like a cancer at the very foundation of our system, yet where are the highly publicized trials and outrage?
It’s a measure of what we have allowed to be the norm. Why does it always seem to be fraud from mostly one party?
DONNELL (NORFOLK VA) on November 2nd, 2009 at 12:29pm said:
AFGANISTAN IS A RECIPE FOR FALIURE. THE BRITISH FAILED TWICE THE RUSSIANS ONCE. OBSERV HISTORY AND BE INSTRUCTED. NO MATER WHO IS INSTALLED THE FUNDAMENTALIST WILL NOT ACCEPT IT.THE TALIBAN AND MUJAHADEEN ARE NOT WILLING TO GIVE THAT MUCH OIL TO ANYONE. THE MORE TROOPS SENT WILL ONLY INCREASE THE BODY BAGS COUNT.