____________________ President Karzai __________________
Afghanistan is a wild place to be, lots of fighting lots and issues with money and drugs. Ruling with a fist is almost inevitable when you have foreign militant groups fighting within your country. One may pay to be there, i.e. the convert forces but both harm Afghan countryman’s lives. Afghanistan has made remarkable political progress through the completion of the 2001 Bonn Accord, the political roadmap for rebuilding the country. The international community and the Afghan Government, under the leadership of President Karzai, have built national-level political institutions, including a new constitution, legitimate presidential elections, and a democratically elected parliament. Afghanistan’s way of life has improved, health care was almost non existent prior to NATO and US involvement, but now it can be considered readily available. It has helped the poor survive hard times in Afghanistan. With more United States support better United States relations have been. Karzai has doubted the west and threatened to turn other places for aid, but has more optimism with the United States now. After Wednesday May 6th where Pakistan the United States and Afghanistan leaders were all under one roof, and were said to have reached “unprecedented cooperation,” by President Obama. “I'm pleased that these two men, elected leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, fully appreciate the seriousness of the threats that we face and have reaffirmed their commitment to confronting it," Obama said at the White House. Zardari even sent an attack the very next day to try to take back Swat valley and Buner from the Taliban. This fighting saw large losses on both sides, and fighting is still going on. In Afghanistan the US has talked about sending more troops. The United States knows that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are feeling a sense of over-burden. The Taliban has taken over more Pakistan now controlling the Swat Valley and the Buner regions in the north. Pakistan has stepped up is action in the past few weeks after President Zardari’s meeting with President Obama on Wednesday May 6th. He added more troops to the northwest region of Pakistan, and arraigned an attack against the Taliban in Swat Valley, the next day. This is a good sign; it shows where our government’s head is at. Also the tribes and areas of government are organizing a meeting in which they will discuss the Taliban’s position in the country, and what they can do to stop them. Also the Afghan government has had talks with the Taliban. It is looking for a diplomatic way of ridding the Taliban. The United States is approving of these talks; we have moved a distance from “dead or alive.”
There is optimism to be had in this region, but I am still skeptical. We have done nothing for almost eight years now. The power of the Taliban and size has only increased in recent years. We have had more causalities now then we have had a few years ago. Covert operations have been and continue to be embarrassing for the CIA and United States. Author Chalmers Johnson is quoted “If the CIA's activities in Afghanistan are a "success story," then Enron should be considered a model of corporate behavior.” To understand my title, “to govern Afghanistan is a bit like being a Chicago ward politician in the 1920s,” you have to understand what Chicago was going through in the roaring 20s. Chicago was the most corrupt place in the Untied States at that time. Elected leaders were put into office by gangs and violence and really didn’t have much control, because there were other gangs, which battled with the government. Another picture could be how New York was run in the movie “Gangs of New York.” Afghanistan and Pakistan are similar in that the rulers Karzai and Zardari both do not control all of there country. Parts of these countries are controlled by tribes and warlords as well as the Taliban. So Afghanistan and Pakistan are not actual counties. Their governments have never controlled the whole country before; there have always been areas of sharia law. Warlords rule under sharia law, and no democracy is accomplished. So for there to be any change in this part of the world there needs to be a change in how the countries are run. That is not in the minds of Americans, we want to oust the Taliban and let the Afghan Government rule Afghanistan. The Taliban will never leave Afghanistan and Pakistan just like the warlords, tribes and druggies wont. I would even have a hard time to believe that if all of the different groups living in Afghanistan got there own countries that the Taliban would still be unable to be totally rid of in Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8037281.stm
http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/2009/02/pakistan-hails-new-afghan-relations-.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30599619
Afghanistan is a wild place to be, lots of fighting lots and issues with money and drugs. Ruling with a fist is almost inevitable when you have foreign militant groups fighting within your country. One may pay to be there, i.e. the convert forces but both harm Afghan countryman’s lives. Afghanistan has made remarkable political progress through the completion of the 2001 Bonn Accord, the political roadmap for rebuilding the country. The international community and the Afghan Government, under the leadership of President Karzai, have built national-level political institutions, including a new constitution, legitimate presidential elections, and a democratically elected parliament. Afghanistan’s way of life has improved, health care was almost non existent prior to NATO and US involvement, but now it can be considered readily available. It has helped the poor survive hard times in Afghanistan. With more United States support better United States relations have been. Karzai has doubted the west and threatened to turn other places for aid, but has more optimism with the United States now. After Wednesday May 6th where Pakistan the United States and Afghanistan leaders were all under one roof, and were said to have reached “unprecedented cooperation,” by President Obama. “I'm pleased that these two men, elected leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, fully appreciate the seriousness of the threats that we face and have reaffirmed their commitment to confronting it," Obama said at the White House. Zardari even sent an attack the very next day to try to take back Swat valley and Buner from the Taliban. This fighting saw large losses on both sides, and fighting is still going on. In Afghanistan the US has talked about sending more troops. The United States knows that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are feeling a sense of over-burden. The Taliban has taken over more Pakistan now controlling the Swat Valley and the Buner regions in the north. Pakistan has stepped up is action in the past few weeks after President Zardari’s meeting with President Obama on Wednesday May 6th. He added more troops to the northwest region of Pakistan, and arraigned an attack against the Taliban in Swat Valley, the next day. This is a good sign; it shows where our government’s head is at. Also the tribes and areas of government are organizing a meeting in which they will discuss the Taliban’s position in the country, and what they can do to stop them. Also the Afghan government has had talks with the Taliban. It is looking for a diplomatic way of ridding the Taliban. The United States is approving of these talks; we have moved a distance from “dead or alive.”
There is optimism to be had in this region, but I am still skeptical. We have done nothing for almost eight years now. The power of the Taliban and size has only increased in recent years. We have had more causalities now then we have had a few years ago. Covert operations have been and continue to be embarrassing for the CIA and United States. Author Chalmers Johnson is quoted “If the CIA's activities in Afghanistan are a "success story," then Enron should be considered a model of corporate behavior.” To understand my title, “to govern Afghanistan is a bit like being a Chicago ward politician in the 1920s,” you have to understand what Chicago was going through in the roaring 20s. Chicago was the most corrupt place in the Untied States at that time. Elected leaders were put into office by gangs and violence and really didn’t have much control, because there were other gangs, which battled with the government. Another picture could be how New York was run in the movie “Gangs of New York.” Afghanistan and Pakistan are similar in that the rulers Karzai and Zardari both do not control all of there country. Parts of these countries are controlled by tribes and warlords as well as the Taliban. So Afghanistan and Pakistan are not actual counties. Their governments have never controlled the whole country before; there have always been areas of sharia law. Warlords rule under sharia law, and no democracy is accomplished. So for there to be any change in this part of the world there needs to be a change in how the countries are run. That is not in the minds of Americans, we want to oust the Taliban and let the Afghan Government rule Afghanistan. The Taliban will never leave Afghanistan and Pakistan just like the warlords, tribes and druggies wont. I would even have a hard time to believe that if all of the different groups living in Afghanistan got there own countries that the Taliban would still be unable to be totally rid of in Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8037281.stm
http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/2009/02/pakistan-hails-new-afghan-relations-.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30599619
