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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! October 31, 2009 Round two (part two)By Greyhawk
As the scheduled November 7 second round election date draws near, last minute efforts to replace the Karzai government in Afghanistan are moving into high gear. From London:
The Times report acknowledges that Dr Abdullah's decision "will also dictate to a large extent whether President Obama decides in the next few days that he has a credible enough partner to send more troops to Afghanistan as part of a new counter-insurgency strategy." For their part, the Obama administration has taken several steps this week to increase pressure on Karzai, and today's stateside reports claim Abdullah's decision to withdraw is all but made. Earlier this week former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad indicated a power sharing deal would be struck, adding that Abdullah's chance for a favorable result in a run-off were slim.
The Times reported Abdullah "is much more likely to boycott, analysts say, to deny Mr Karzai the legitimate victory that he craves, especially in the Tajik-dominated north where most people support Dr Abdullah." In an election marred by fraud on all sides, Abdullah received over 200,000 votes later ruled fraudulent, the majority from the northern sector of the country - a point that has all but vanished from American reporting on the topic since the Obama administration linked the American future in Afghanistan to Abdullah's place in a future government there. Abdullah proved himself a well-prepared and adept politician by any standards during his cable television American debut last weekend. In responding to questions regarding President Obama's troop build-up plans during separate same-day appearances on CNN and Fox he assured CNN viewers that "I think it's perhaps right for the president of the United States to see what is, what is then -- that is which is undertaken. That by no chance means that hesitance in the decision. That's, I think, studying the situation in a critical time, so I think the president of the United States is doing the right thing."...while providing a different perspective to those tuned in to Fox: There is a need for more troops. There is no doubt about it. There are need in Afghanistan. And that's based on military analysis and especially by General McChrystal. The Washington Post/Associated Press, on developments in the week since: Reuters: WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - CNN, quoting an unidentified Western source, said on Friday election talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his rival Abdullah Abdullah had broken down and that Abdullah would likely announce he will boycott the Nov. 7 run-off vote.The AP: A boycott would severely undermine a vote intended to affirm the Afghan government's credibility. However, an Abdullah spokesman said no final decision had been made on the candidate's pullout, and that Abdullah will announce his decision Sunday morning. It was possible that word of the boycott was a negotiating tactic by the Abdullah camp. In Washington, the Obama administration maintained pressure on Karzai as an ongoing (and seemingly endless) flood of "leaks" from "officials" continued unabated. After opening the week by declaring (via the New York Times) his brother was actually a CIA agent, a series of "insider" reports followed.
With the November 7 date drawing ever closer, "sources" had another clarifying message for Karzai: "as of now President Obama will likely announce his decision about a new strategy in Afghanistan at some point between the Afghan run-off election, November 7, and the president's departure for Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, November 11."
But with a promised dramatic announcement from Abdullah imminent, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested a one-man runoff might still beconsidered "legitimate" after all... ...hedging administration bets, as the London Times offered an even more dramatic reminder that the potential dangers of the game go well beyond being on the receiving end of accusations of dithering from political opponents: More worryingly, however, a boycott could prompt Dr Abdullah's backers to call their supporters out on to the streets for protests that could easily turn violent in a country awash with weapons. So on second thought, "It appears increasingly likely that Obama will not announce his new Afghanistan strategy until after returning to the United States on Nov. 20. " More to follow... Previously: The wicked game (and parts two, three, four and five) Posted by Greyhawk / October 31, 2009 4:41 PM | Permalink TrackBackTrackBack URL: http://www.mudvillegazette.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/16879 2 CommentsLeave a comment |
March 17, 2010Dawn Patrol 03/17/2010 [Mrs Greyhawk]
Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.Refresh for updates.
AFGHANISTANSuicide attackers killed in Afghanistan -- [CNN] US kills 8 terrorists in 2 new airstrikes in North Waziristan -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio] S.N.A.B.U. = Situation Normal All BAF-fed Up -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan] Post Office Doesn't Like Me -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan] Danger Room Explainer: Outsourced Intel in Afghanistan -- [Danger Room] IRAQIraq Votes - Part VI -- [MEMRI] Mission Accomplished: Astroturfing Baghdad -- [Danger Room]
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLDAllies everywhere feeling snubbed by President Obama -- [Washington Post] Chahar-Shanbeh Souri -- [Planet Iran]
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISMIf bin Laden is found, he'll be killed, Holder says -- [AP] ACLU files lawsuit for information on US Predator program -- [Threat Matrix] SUPPORTING THE TROOPSArmy Suicides Grow, but This Soldier Was Saved -- [Politics Daily] Silver Star Winner Reprimanded for Afghan Battle -- [ABC]
MILITARYArrrrrrmy Training, SIR! -- [This Ain't Hell] WELCOME HOMEBushrod honors were not misplaced -- [Fredericksburg.com] They're Coming Home! -- [KBND]
THE MEDIA/CULTUREIt's just some ribbon. -- [From my Position...]
POLITICSGE and Ronald Reagan: The Mutual Gift That Keeps On Giving -- [Politics Daily] Petraeus Testifies About DADT
The Petraeus briefing: Biden's embarrassment is not the whole story -- [Foreign Policy Blog] HUMOR/SATIRE
Iraq, Afghanistan, War, Terrorism, Military, Politics, Media, MilBlogs, dawn patrol Mudville
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Most of the guys on the ePRTs are contractors of this type. State isn't really deploying a lot of its organic assets into these roles: often just one per team, in fact (the team leader is a FS-1 or senior foreign service).
As BG Cardon pointed out in the recent roundtable, State doesn't have a float that lets them fill these spots. And, as you know, State's actual employees mostly prefer embassies (and, if that embassy can be located somewhere besides a warzone, all the better). They've built out these teams with contractors.
That's good, though, because contractors can be hired for their relevant experience in agriculture or small-business development, or something similar. That's given State the ability to put more-relevant expertise on the ground than if they'd had to use their organic assets, who are trained in things like 'policy.' That's nice, but if you want to set up a drip irrigation unit in Iraq...
So, you've got one "policy" expert at the head of the team, making sure that their work supports the broader mission instead of becoming 'development for development's sake.' And then you've got a team of contracted experts who can really create effects on the ground, because they know how to do things like raise cattle, start banks, or whatever the area needs.
Good points, Grim. And given the circumstances that's probably the best solution to the problem. I hope it works, I'm sure it can if given the time required.
But the Obama admin is digging itself into a hole as far as domestic political support for the Afghan mission is concerned, and even if it can extricate itself from that position the required time is growing longer as a result.