Comments on: Galbraith, In His Own Words, On The Afghan Election And The U.N. Complicity http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:59:36 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: ondelette http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13813 ondelette Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:33:53 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13813 <p>I’m really having trouble with this dispute, it’s very hard for me to understand Kai Eide trying to be so manipulative, or what motive the U.N. would have for being so, and it’s equally hard to understand why it is so difficult to denounce the election if it isn’t valid. By any given party involved. It makes sense to me only in the light of participating governments that have lied to their constituencies about how difficult or how dangerous some of this might be. I don’t think of Kai Eide as someone who would be duplicitous, but I’m also having trouble discounting Peter Galbraith.</p> I’m really having trouble with this dispute, it’s very hard for me to understand Kai Eide trying to be so manipulative, or what motive the U.N. would have for being so, and it’s equally hard to understand why it is so difficult to denounce the election if it isn’t valid. By any given party involved. It makes sense to me only in the light of participating governments that have lied to their constituencies about how difficult or how dangerous some of this might be. I don’t think of Kai Eide as someone who would be duplicitous, but I’m also having trouble discounting Peter Galbraith.

]]> By: NCGal http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13810 NCGal Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:31:06 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13810 <p>I am also somewhat surprised that Rory Stewart’s take on our war in Afghanistan hasn’t received significant attention. But given our MSM, I’m not too shocked.</p> <p>Stewart said that when he speaks to multiple members of the current administration about Afghanistan, they listen politely but to him it’s as if they are saying - we are determined to drive off the cliff. Please advise if we should wear seatbelts. </p> <p>And Stewart is concerned our current strong level of war effort in Afghanistan is going to lead to our total abandonment in a few years, which will be disastrous for the Afghan people. It would be similar to the way we abandoned the country after the Soviets left.</p> I am also somewhat surprised that Rory Stewart’s take on our war in Afghanistan hasn’t received significant attention. But given our MSM, I’m not too shocked.

Stewart said that when he speaks to multiple members of the current administration about Afghanistan, they listen politely but to him it’s as if they are saying – we are determined to drive off the cliff. Please advise if we should wear seatbelts.

And Stewart is concerned our current strong level of war effort in Afghanistan is going to lead to our total abandonment in a few years, which will be disastrous for the Afghan people. It would be similar to the way we abandoned the country after the Soviets left.

]]> By: tbsa http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13809 tbsa Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:29:01 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13809 <p>What do we expect when we allow fraudulent elections here in the United States. Our military would be expelled from the country without the puppet government in Afghanistan.</p> What do we expect when we allow fraudulent elections here in the United States. Our military would be expelled from the country without the puppet government in Afghanistan.

]]> By: karaka http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13808 karaka Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:26:09 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13808 <p>One of the crummiest things to come out of the international weight thrown behind Karzai’s presidency is watching Galbraith be dismissed for questioning legitimacy, when it clearly needed to be questioned. Not crummier than the support of Karzai’s presidency, of course, but bad collateral damage.</p> One of the crummiest things to come out of the international weight thrown behind Karzai’s presidency is watching Galbraith be dismissed for questioning legitimacy, when it clearly needed to be questioned. Not crummier than the support of Karzai’s presidency, of course, but bad collateral damage.

]]> By: karaka http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13807 karaka Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:15:42 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13807 <p>Yeah, I took that discussion on. I was surprised too that more people hadn’t–Stewart isn’t strident in his beliefs, but he definitely sticks with them, and they’re worth discussing.</p> Yeah, I took that discussion on. I was surprised too that more people hadn’t–Stewart isn’t strident in his beliefs, but he definitely sticks with them, and they’re worth discussing.

]]> By: Spencer Ackerman http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13806 Spencer Ackerman Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:12:08 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13806 <p>I didn’t see the Charlie Rose interview — I kind of never watch Charlie Rose — but if it’s grappling-with-Stewart you want, <a href="http://washingtonindependent.com/59638/kerry-opens-vigorous-debate-on-afghanistan" rel="nofollow">I gotchoo covered</a>.</p> I didn’t see the Charlie Rose interview — I kind of never watch Charlie Rose — but if it’s grappling-with-Stewart you want, I gotchoo covered.

]]> By: Russ http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13805 Russ Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:11:53 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13805 <blockquote><p>The greatest danger he identifies is that the election results in a Tajik refusal to support the government, and since the Tajiks are rather unlikely to make common cause with the Taliban they’ve been fighting for over ten years, it’s a bit puzzling.</p></blockquote> <p>He did call this a “Pashtun civil war”. So, however much support the Tajiks have been giving to the US side (I don’t know that much detail of this war yet), I suppose there’s other possibilities between continued support and flipping over to the other side, like for example withholding support and holding aloof. May not be in their best interest, but politics is full of cutting off the nose to spite the face.</p> <p>Maybe that’s what he meant.</p>

The greatest danger he identifies is that the election results in a Tajik refusal to support the government, and since the Tajiks are rather unlikely to make common cause with the Taliban they’ve been fighting for over ten years, it’s a bit puzzling.

He did call this a “Pashtun civil war”. So, however much support the Tajiks have been giving to the US side (I don’t know that much detail of this war yet), I suppose there’s other possibilities between continued support and flipping over to the other side, like for example withholding support and holding aloof. May not be in their best interest, but politics is full of cutting off the nose to spite the face.

Maybe that’s what he meant.

]]> By: Spencer Ackerman http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13804 Spencer Ackerman Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:09:08 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13804 <p>Totally agree. This is why I wrote that “unconditional relationship with Pakistan, conditional relationship with Afghanistan” post a couple weeks ago.</p> Totally agree. This is why I wrote that “unconditional relationship with Pakistan, conditional relationship with Afghanistan” post a couple weeks ago.

]]> By: Arbusto http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13802 Arbusto Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:05:03 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13802 <p>UN duplicity aside, I’m supprised at the lack of blogs dissecting Rory Stewarts discussion of Afghanistan on Bill Moyers Journal of 09.24.09. He’s had several meeting with on-high in State and the WH. He stated basically they wanted him to bless one of two losing policies and had no interest in changing the upcoming “Pacification” favored by JCoS or alternatively more troops. Galbraith didn’t agree with on-high, got no US backing, so he’s gone. I guess Obama during his college years, didn’t have a minor in history.</p> UN duplicity aside, I’m supprised at the lack of blogs dissecting Rory Stewarts discussion of Afghanistan on Bill Moyers Journal of 09.24.09. He’s had several meeting with on-high in State and the WH. He stated basically they wanted him to bless one of two losing policies and had no interest in changing the upcoming “Pacification” favored by JCoS or alternatively more troops. Galbraith didn’t agree with on-high, got no US backing, so he’s gone. I guess Obama during his college years, didn’t have a minor in history.

]]> By: dakine01 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13801 dakine01 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:03:20 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/galbraith-in-his-own-words-on-the-afghan-election-and-the-un-complicity/#comment-13801 <p><a href="http://firedoglake.com/2009/10/04/fdl-book-salon-welcomes-rana-husseini-murder-in-the-name-of-honor/" rel="nofollow">Book Salon up at the Mothership</a> with Rana Husseini’s <i>Murder In The Name Of Honor</i> hosted by Joanne Payton</p> Book Salon up at the Mothership with Rana Husseini’s Murder In The Name Of Honor hosted by Joanne Payton

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