Peter Galbraith, U.S. Critic Of Karzai, Fired From U.N. Mission

nytimes.com:

UNITED NATIONS �" Peter W. Galbraith, the deputy United Nations special representative for Afghanistan and the highest American official for the world body there, has been removed from his post, United Nations officials said Wednesday.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[Durango]

10:45 AM on 10/02/2009

This is not a good sign. It appears that the fix is in for Karzai. It would appear that Karzai, like Ahmedinijad next door, is stealing the election.

Personally I just want an Afghani government with enough legitimacy to negotiate an end to this endless war. I am not concerned with democracy. I am concerned with ending the killing.

And I do not believe Karzai is up to the job.

i think Karzai has failed. But I also think it is entirely possible that nobody could have succeed in the task given him. To unite his country under the umbrella of those fools Bush and Cheney.

I think it is time for new leadership. And perhaps Abdullah could provide it.

What we don't need at this point is an illegitimate government that is seen as nothing but corrupt. Maybe with a runoff election things could be settled.

But this looks very, very bad.

[outnow]

09:45 AM on 10/02/2009

Galbraith felt that the UN should have ensured a fair election and din't do so. I heard his interview and debate. Without a strong leader in Kabul. the US military will have a tougher job to do. Being partners with warlords is what it takes to stay in power. Bush 43 used the Northern Alliance to catch bin Laden..

Afghanistan is a huge mess but we have to rebuild the infrastructure, protect people who co-operate with the US military and intelligence.

As much as I dislike what our country has done in Afhganistan, a pullout would represent a blood bath for many citizens in Afghanistan and would undermine our efforts against AQ. AQ is symbiotic with the Taliban. The Taliba is spreading to other countries in Central Asia. It is another domino Model but is does spread more than AQ or communism. As a fundamentalist form of militant Islam, it is suited for ddisaffected youth but operates against women and children. Talibanism is a totality.

[Durango]

11:43 AM on 10/02/2009

I agree with what you say.

But I think the threat by al Qaida, while real enough, is not as great as you say. They are their own worse enemy. And I don't think they will ever gain power anywhere in the Islamic world that is not already torn apart by war.

That is not to say they are not a threat. They certainly are.

But I see the threat as self limiting.

[cliffhammond]

11:38 PM on 09/30/2009

Who needs democracy when you have UNACAL and Haliburton execs running things.

[Radom Lezboz]

10:58 PM on 09/30/2009

thanks BHO.

[AmandaBC]

10:37 PM on 09/30/2009

Wow, more "change".

Plus ça change plus c'est la même chose...

[StJames]

08:45 PM on 09/30/2009

Time to pull out President Obama. It's never going to work in Afghanistan. No more troops, no more dead soldiers, no more dead civilians. You (we) have as much of a chance of moving Afghanistan into the 19th century (forget about the 21st) as you have of winning over Rush Limbaugh. In fact you have a better chance of winning over Rushie poo

[aliveoneinkiwiland]

12:01 AM on 10/01/2009

Pull out? what the US has only just got started toasting Hotels in Pakistan (read Pakistan media, witnesses see US troops take in metal boxes, then hotels incinerate) and divide and conquering, as well as having hit men in Iran and destabilising their Govt, along with the full spectrum Media Propoganda blitz.

This IS US Foreign Policy, it IS the PNAC document of how the US will do business and rule millitarily Globally.
Obama IS continuing (as predicted) the way of Bush.
The sooner the world wakes up to this the better for humanity.

[Travis bdboy]

07:11 PM on 09/30/2009

Politics.....they fire you because you tell the truth

[cliffhammond]

11:41 PM on 09/30/2009

You don't diss the oligarchs and corporatists of world government and get away with it.

[sonoffestus]

04:36 PM on 09/30/2009

Why are we so scared of the truth? Speak the truth, lose your job.

Reminds me when I was with a struggling US company. They hired a consultant group, paid them $250,000 for 4 weeks "work" and immediately fired them. I guess they didn't like being told that the entire upper mangemant group had to be retrained or replaced.

I found myself myself "downsized" about 2 months later. Apparently, my boss didn't like the fact that I told the consultants that he had his head up his a--. Too funny!

[CoronaDischarge]

04:16 PM on 09/30/2009

He was out of step with the policy issues - for which the US needs a functioning government, even if it is a fiction. He was in an impossible position. Detaching him from the process is the best course, regardless of how fraudulent the elections were, or how correct and principled Galbraith may be.

No great shame. Some marriages have been known to end in divorce as well.

[alysheba 3]

03:03 PM on 09/30/2009

Of course the UN could not keep anyone in a position of authority who might logically oppose the fraudulent election of the Afghan President that the US supports. That would mean that the UN has opinions of its own instead of support US government opinions like it is supposed to.

[doubtingdavid]

03:23 PM on 09/30/2009

He was fired because he wanted a full recount not the farce that occurred at the UN's insistance.

[alysheba 3]

06:33 PM on 09/30/2009

I know, he wanted the truth, not automatic support of the US endorsed puppet. The US was the voice calling for farce. It got what it wanted from the UN, as usual, right or wrong (in this case wrong).

[omobob]

03:02 PM on 09/30/2009

"But the emperor has no clothes, said the astute little boy. Kill the messenger?