Afghanistan: The Real Exit Strategy - Free and Fair Elections

The US sent 4,000 marines to up the anti in Southern Afghanistan and snuff out the stronghold of the Taliban. Unfortunately, this influx of soldiers turned an already bloody war into one where violence has escalated to unprecedented heights. This movement is now making the country much more volatile in a time when the Afghans actually need some semblance of calm.

On August 20th, Afghans will be heading to the polls to hopefully elect a new President. The current one is noticeably untouched by the increased hostilities. Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has left the war management, and most everything else I might add, to the outsiders and is instead wheeling and dealing with warlords and drug dealers promising them all kinds of favors as well as positions in his government if they support him.

Perhaps this behavior was prudent in the past but today and in light of waning support, Karzai should start charting more prudent waters. The days of robber-baron capitalism must come to an end.

Karzai is deeply unpopular. His approval rating has dropped 60% since he's taken office. Afghans are tired of the corruption and lack of leadership. To no ones surprise, they loath all these warlords who quite frankly belong in the Hague not the cabinet.

Despite pleas by his people, Karzai continues to do little more than encourage corruption and thievery. Mohammad Naeem Dindar, Head of Audit Department in the Ministry of Finance, recently acknowledged that $80 billion of the national revenue was lost or squandered due to mismanagement and corruption.

In his quest for re-election, Karzai continues to demonstrate he has little, if any, intention to improve peoples lives in Afghanistan. Rather than work on policy and rural development projects, he is again busy working with thugs.

One of his new picks for Vice President is a notorious mujahedeen fighter and warlord, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who is known to be involved in widespread kidnappings, weapons smuggling and the drug trade. So much for the new anti-narcotics plan produced by Ambassador Holbrook, it has already been undermined.

Karzai also recently brought back the infamous Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum who most Afghans are petrified to even speak about. Dostum is known for committing mass atrocities during the Afghan civil war.

When I was in Kabul last year, he kidnapped, terrorized and brutally thrashed a former associate and his son http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/v-print/story/57649.html. Word was that the man wanted to start his own business. They ended up in the hospital fighting for their lives while Dostum went back in his mysterious ministry post.

More recently, Karzai shocked everyone by pardoning five drug traffickers who had been convicted by a U.S. Funded criminal drug court. The five had family members working for Karzai's political campaign. Surprise waned, disappointment took over.

All of this on top of Karzai's independent approval of the 'women's rape law' which revokes the constitutional provisions that women are equal or actually have rights. Although this law was revisited as promised the United Nations reports that women are still required to submit to sexual intercourse according to their husband's desires. Apparently their desires are of no concern.

While the West is pouring billions of dollars into Afghanistan, it continues to ignore that the only beneficiaries are government ministers, warlords and heroin traffickers many of whom provide financing for the Taliban. From land to outright cash, they seem to be the only Afghans with any assets - massive mansions with personal militias and large bank accounts -- in one of the world's poorest countries while the people struggle and children starve.

The international community itself seems to be permitting this corruption instead of stepping in, taking away the money and halting it. It appears to have accepted a tainted election instead of clearly stating that there is a no tolerance policy for this behavior and demanding a free and fair election.

It is also quite astonishing that after five years of promises to bring reconciliation and development while failing miserably to do either that foreigners in particular are still predicting Hamid Karzai will have no competition and win. In reality there other candidates, 41 at last count, which are at a substantial disadvantage because internationals and, more importantly US money is supporting the current incumbent who can then in turn make all kinds of questionable promises to others.

Thus, the cry is again and again, "Well if not Karzai, then who?" There are possibilities and it is time for Afghans to rise up, vote and pick an alternative to the status quo and as long as the international community is there they should create a safe space for this to happen. Standing up for change is in Afghanistan's interest and if anyone can make it happen, Afghans most certainly can.

A few alternatives to Karzai are former foreign minister Abdulla Abdulla and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani.

Abdulla is an ophthalmologist trained in Kabul. Despite his knowingly conservative roots, he has served with the Northern Alliance as a close associate to Afghan hero Ahmad Shah Massoud. Abdulla is an admirable diplomat and Afghans can be sure he knows a thing or two about at least dealing with the international occupation that entrenches upon their ground.

Ghani who also was a first advisor to Karzai, is much more progressive and has demonstrated he can make change. He won the title as Best Finance Minister of Asia because he was actually able to reform the customs offices and collect revenues for the government not just the coffers of the warlords and drug runners. After resigning from the government he served as chancellor of Kabul University and founded the Institute for State Effectiveness. He has worked much of his life on development and poverty alleviation all of which could highly benefit Afghanistan.

It is difficult to get information on the other candidates; something the international community should also work to change. No one really knows if one of them can actually lead the country to a better place.

Either way, it would behoove everyone to ensure that there is minimal fraud, all candidates get equal access and support, and that the international community themselves are observers instead of interventionist so obviously choosing one candidate over another. Without clear legitimacy and voter trust in a just outcome, the international community may be saddled with an Iranian-style revolt which would at this stage be disastrous for everyone.

Afghans deserve to decide who will represent them. They have the right to make a change. If that right is inhibited by international shortcomings or Karzai's definition of free enterprise for gangsters only, Afghanistan my just return to the civil wars of the past instead of what the Afghan people really want - a peaceful and prosperous future.

Comments

[S1m0n]

It's driving me crazy. It's "up the ante", not "up the anti". Or up the Auntie, for that matter.

[dnb53]

I am writing from Sharana, Afghanistan at this moment. After working with hundreds of local Afghans, I believe that they must get a better education system for the next generation before thinking about even a semi democracy. Many of these men are good men, and despise the Taliban and their ideaology, but lack any type of work ethic or education that it would take to understand or believe in democracy. It sounds terrible to say about a large group of people, but laziness is infectuous amongst the workers over here, and the complacency in their mindset may translate into an inability to work for a free nation. Every worker that I have met with the slightest bit of work ethic, and smarts to him wants out of this country desperately.

I hope I am woefully wrong and overly cynical about all this, and Afghanistan can achieve better things, because the people here deserve it.

[Kaviraj]

Good education means you spell correctly. It is ideology and not ideaology. Go home and have that education, instead of interfering in other people's lives through your ideology.

[skyshoes]

Great informative article on a subject so few of us ever hear about, except for the deaths and destruction. I sometimes have to catch myself from being too pragmatic (cynical). The responses left me in the dust. My overall reading from th comments is.. Who are we to force our oligarchy masquerading as "democracy" on other peoples. Our democracy died when we failed to listen to President Eisenhower with his warnings about the military industrial complex. We descended thence into our corporate oligarchy. "Our" senate and congress are divided between corporate lobbyist whims and their "donations" . Shame on us and the corporate overlords that have manipulated what was once a great democracy's demise. America preaching democracy is no different than Ensign and Sanford's form of hypocritically wearing their Christianity on their coat sleeves.

[ModernTimes1]

Afghanistan won't be ready for any elections for at least a decade. Maybe much longer.
Anyone who speaks of " free and fair" elections in Afghanistan simply doesn't understand the system of alliances which prevail in that country.

[noneIn2008]

No more excuses, no more American deaths, get us out NOW. We were promised an exit with the 2006 election, then 2008. In the 2012 elections we will be still hearing excuses. Enough with words and promises, get us out now.

[research]

"The days of robber-baron capitalism must come to an end. "

You really think the corporatist that control the USA and the world, will let that happen?

We don't even have a functioning democracy in the USA, it's all lies, bought and paid for.

The best thing we can do for Afghanistan, is leave and stop meddling.

[ModernTimes1]

Half digested slogans.

[research]

14 trillion went to the Bankster, and about 500B went to Main Street.

You really think the USA is not a plutocracy?

[vippy]

Karza is from Houston, TX. He learned well under Bush. What did we expect of him. Now the USA is not even destroying their major income, drugs, reminds me on the war on drugs in Vietnam!

[demigod]

Democracy didn't start in North America in 1776 - it started in Greece before the time of Christ. The people of the Middle East and East Asia knew about it - and did NOT adopt it. Why do we think we have some great novel gift to give these people now ? They didn't want it then, and don't want it now. They want top-down authoritarian government, which is why Islam has bound them hand and foot. The only thing we have that they want is money - and we really don't have any of that.

[jhNY]

Throughout this piece, I looked for anything like evidence that Afhgans were interested in any of the outcomes you would wish on them-- where is the popular support for democracy as the preferred form of government, I mean besides the infinitely corruptible cabinet ministers and anybody else who can elbow their way to the trough that we and our allies insist on pouring borrowed money into for their delectation?

The Afghans may be divided on several issues by ethnic and geographical differences, and by politcal ones as well, but I am satisfied that they are united in one respect overwhelmingly: hatred of foreigners occupying their land, hatred of foreigner-imposed institutions of government. Anybody running on a platform of national application of sharia law would win in a fair election, it seems to me. After which, I'm guessing, we'd have to force new elections on the nation, as many times as it took to get the outcome we desire.

[Patricia DeGennaro - Huffpost Blogger]

Actually jhNY, they are very interested in peace and better governance. Perhaps not exactly the way the West would like but nevertheless Afghans too want better futures for themselves and their children. They are also, as I said, extremely tired of the corruption, lack of leadership and, most notably, the young want more freedom and secularism not sharia law so there is a chance. Unfortunately you do have a point that the West all to often 'forces' their desired outcome instead of letting the Afghans decide for themselves. Thank you for your comments.