Comments on: You Ain’t Gotta Go Home But You Gotta Get The Hell Up Outta Here

By: Kilo

Kilo — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:49:35 +0000

A week ago when you were pointing to the significance of promoting negotiations with the Taliban, some Afghan blogs were pointing out he has done the same thing in the leadup to each election.

Either that election has gotten a week further away in the meantime, in which case the explanation for this statement may be less obvious, or the opposite has occurred.

By: Jkat

Jkat — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:42:43 +0000

When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier.

from “the young british soldier..” r. kipling

By: marshen

marshen — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:58:18 +0000

Karzai must realize that Obama will end the war in Iraq sooner than later, then all american eyes will be focused on Afghanistan as the “problem” and start looking for an end to it. I think Karzai may be laying the groundwork and floating ideas to end US involvement on his terms, and what is in the best interest of his country, rather than ours. He must be thinking over his options for the best possibility of keeping himself in power as well. He is playing the “angry occupied country” right now like Iraq to get what they want out of us.

By: jasonb

jasonb — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:23:50 +0000

Am I wrong to assume that a timeline would be a necessary part of negotiations? Our aim in that country can’t be the same as in Iraq- methinks setting up a unified state there is above our pay grade.

It seems that approaching the tribal leaders is our best option there, and perhaps said leaders collectively feel that a timeline is in everyone’s best interest. Karzai’s comments appear to be a clever way of establishing the first phase in the inevitable negotiations.

By: Synoia

Synoia — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:20:15 +0000

That’s a plane from the Queen’s (Queen of England’s) flight. Notice the crown above the EiiR by the door?

By: Synoia

Synoia — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:16:57 +0000

Karzi’s correct. He means, “Leave us alone to rule our own country, and we also don’t need any help to figure out how to rule our own country. You foreigners (and the Afghanis’ must have some nasty word that describes foreigners), go away and leave us alone and stop killing our people.”

Lord Roberts stated this would be good policy in the 1880s. Plus ca change.

What make the non-Afghanis in this thread, and those not in Afghanistan, believe they know better than the Afghanis how to rule their own country?

Umm…self-determination perhaps?

By: Hugh

Hugh — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:50:28 +0000

Sounds like a perfectly reasnable bargaining ploy by Karzai to justify negotiations with the Taliban.

BTW is that a prospective picture of Karzai fleeing the country on the last plane out?

By: Jkat

Jkat — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:42:45 +0000

if they’d read their “kipling” properly .. they’d put afghanistan in the rear view mirror …

By: dakine01

dakine01 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:41:41 +0000

Blue Texan up at the Mothership

By: ratfood

ratfood — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:41:08 +0000

Just out of curiosity, does Karzai have his own security team or is he still relying on the U.S. for his personal protection? Nothing says puppet government like not being able to find any of your own countrymen that you trust to serve as bodyguards.