A serious slowdown in China really would bring Australia back into line with the struggles being experienced by most of the rest of the developed world.
Hamid Karzai
Abandoning Afghanistan’s women
Women in Afghanistan are most at risk of oppression under Taliban rule. The US used the status of women as a reason to rebuild Afghanistan, but now both Karzai and the US military are ignoring their plight.
Peace in Afghanistan: high hopes but low expectations
The Afghan Peace Jirga — a meeting of tribal leaders and politicians in Kabul to discuss peace and how to rid the country of the Taliban — is beset by worries about control from “foreigners and infidels”, primarily Washington.
Karzai and McCrystal visit Uruzgan: nobody cares
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and ISAF Commander General Stanley McChrystal met with Australian troops in Afghanistan over the weekend — not that Australian media noticed writes James Brown.
Future Afghan government will include Taliban
Nine years of bloodshed and death, and billions upon billions of dollars spent on the Afghanistan occupation, we are facing negotiations on significantly worse terms than before the war began.
Peter Galbraith: I was not plotting against Karzai
Ousted former senior UN official Peter Galbraith says a NYT piece accusing him of plotting to oust Afghan President Hamid Karzai was false: the UN is just trying to distract people from its terrible mishandling of the country’s elections.
The UN plot to oust Karzai
Following revelations of wide-spread fraud in the Afghan election, fired senior UN official Peter Galbraith planned to enlist the US’s help to replace President Hamid Karzai with “a more Western-friendly figure”. Is that the real reason he was given the boot?
Dowd in Iraq: Karzai calls America’s bluff
Maureen Dowd is in Iraq, where she says Hamid Karzai has just pointed out that the emperor may be a little under-dressed by openly stating that the country won’t be able to support itself for at least another 15-20 years — and the US will keep acting as a sugar daddy.
Karzai to boot all private security contractors out of Afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai dropped a bombshell in his inaugural speech the other week, but barely anyone noticed: he plans to rid the country of “all private national and international security firms” — that’s a good 10,000 people, many of them working for the US military.
In defense of Hamid Karzai
Afghan President Hamid Karzai may not be a saint or a statesman, but take a look at some of his predecessors, who were responsible for torture, slaughter, dictatorships and harbouring terrorists, says Bret Stephens. No wonder Afghans are “a collective sigh of relief”.
Karzai vs. Abdullah: a 30-year saga of alliance and betrayal
The recent electoral stand-off between Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah is just the latest — and perhaps final — chapter in a conflict that has been going on between the two men for 30 years.
Why a one-candidate Afghan election isn’t as stupid as it sounds
A one-horse race in Afghanistan actually offers a unique opportunity, writes Abubakar Siddique: if the election is run with only Karzai, and few Afghanis bother to vote, his mandate will be so weak, co-operation with his political opponents will be vital to keep peace in the country.
Everybody loses
With Hamid Karzai being effectively handed the Afghan Presidency by default, everybody loses, says Simon Tisdall: the UN, Washington, democracy — and most of all, the people of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: who’s in charge?
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai’s opponent in the country’s Presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, has pulled out of the run-off race. So what happens now? A one-horse race? A win by default? No-one seems to know.
Karzai’s opium baron brother and his dirty dealings with the CIA
The parents of Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karazi may be a little ashamed of their son’s alleged involvement in vote rigging, but that’s nothing compared to their other son. Meet Ahmed Wali Karzai, a suspected opium baron who works for the CIA as a US-Taliban go-between.
Afghanistan goes (back) to the polls
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has caved to international pressure and agreed to enter into a runoff election. But will a second election be any less fraudulent and corrupt?
How Clinton convinced Karzai to cave
Negotiations with Afghani President Hamid Karzai to enter into a runoff election have been underway for months, but according to the Times, it was a telephone call three days ago from Hillary Clinton that finally saw him relent.
Auditing the Afghan election
Renard Sexton gets wonky on the UN’s Afghanistan Election audit, concluding that “the situation remains fairly damning for Hamid Karzai”, with millions of votes to be thrown out due to fraud.
Yes, the Afghan election was fraudulent. Now what?
Amid fraud allegations, Hamid Karzai has officially ‘won’ 54% of the votes in the Afghan election. Is it more important to maintain national stability or push for a vote recount?
Obama needs to review Afghanistan ASAP
Foreign troops in Afghanistan are increasingly being seen as foreign invaders, says a former US national security adviser. How can the US Alliance ensure it doesn’t repeat the Soviet Union’s mistakes in Afghanistan?
Will Afghan election prompt allies to withdraw troops?
International support is souring and a power struggle will emerge within Afghanistan, following the fraudulent Afghan election. With numerous world elections coming up, pressure is mounting on international leaders to stand firm against Afghanistan.
UN fraud commission throws out illegitimate Afghan votes
A UN backed fraud group has spoken out against “state engineered” voter fraud, declaring votes void and demanding recounts at hundreds of polling booths in the main provinces of President Hamid Karzai’s power base.
Afghan election fraud gives West a chance
Rather than refreshing Hamid Karzai’s leadership, the fraud filled election has weakened it. This leaves the West is left with a chance to guide Afghanistan in a more progressive direction.
Flawed Afghan elections produce the same result
President Hamid Karzai didn’t need to create the fraud and corruption evident in the Afghan election, particularly in his own province, to win power. He would have easily won the presidency legitimately.
