Advice to Obama on what the U.S. military should do in Afghanistan: Overthrow Karzai government
31 March 2010, 18:46, by Laura R. Standley
Do you know why the United States instilled its confidence in Karzai? The United States simply supported the one who came forward and was able to serve their purpose. If there was a better candidate to lead a transistion or permanent government, he or she didn’t come forward at the most opportune time. That’s why the president of Iraq is who he is, rather than someone the Iraqis could get behind. That’s why both the Afghan and Iraqi governments have the same legitimacy problems.
That was the point of my article regarding indegenous people being part of the scenery until someone comes forward out of the scenery as the face of the people that the occupiers can see. Occupiers will cling to those who speak their language and who seem helpful in fulfilling their agenda.
I know my suggestion may seem controversial and inflammatory, given the high emotions between the peoples of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, but what Afghanistan needs is their own Gandhi or Jinnah, someone who has the popular mandate of the Afghan people, who will approach the United States in a peacefully assertive way.
An idea that might be helpful in the meantime is to have an interim law that says the President can only make ministerial appointments on the approval of the vice presidents, at least one of the three must be Pashtun and at least one be from a Northern Alliance ethnic group. The remaining position can be from any group. When coupled with laws specifying ministerial qualifications, as an aspect of civil service, incidents of cronyism should be greatly reduced.
I have read the Afghan Constitution and it’s written in a way that desperately wants to get past ethnic conflicts and tensions. But that’s not reality. For now, there must be checks and balances in the executive branch so neither Northern Alliance peoples, Baluchis or Pashtuns feel marginalized, nor does any group dominate.
Do you know why the United States instilled its confidence in Karzai? The United States simply supported the one who came forward and was able to serve their purpose. If there was a better candidate to lead a transistion or permanent government, he or she didn’t come forward at the most opportune time. That’s why the president of Iraq is who he is, rather than someone the Iraqis could get behind. That’s why both the Afghan and Iraqi governments have the same legitimacy problems.
That was the point of my article regarding indegenous people being part of the scenery until someone comes forward out of the scenery as the face of the people that the occupiers can see. Occupiers will cling to those who speak their language and who seem helpful in fulfilling their agenda.
I know my suggestion may seem controversial and inflammatory, given the high emotions between the peoples of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, but what Afghanistan needs is their own Gandhi or Jinnah, someone who has the popular mandate of the Afghan people, who will approach the United States in a peacefully assertive way.
An idea that might be helpful in the meantime is to have an interim law that says the President can only make ministerial appointments on the approval of the vice presidents, at least one of the three must be Pashtun and at least one be from a Northern Alliance ethnic group. The remaining position can be from any group. When coupled with laws specifying ministerial qualifications, as an aspect of civil service, incidents of cronyism should be greatly reduced.
I have read the Afghan Constitution and it’s written in a way that desperately wants to get past ethnic conflicts and tensions. But that’s not reality. For now, there must be checks and balances in the executive branch so neither Northern Alliance peoples, Baluchis or Pashtuns feel marginalized, nor does any group dominate.