Afghanistan

Some of your may know that recently Afghanistan held its second presidential election since the US-led invasion and subsequent fall of Taliban rule in 2001. The first election took place in 2004 and was won by Hamid Karzai, who now is on the brink of winning a very closely contested second term. When the situation in Afghanistan is examined, however, one has ask oneself, "Is he the right man for the job?" The overwhelming and obvious answer to this question is Fuck No. Let's examine our man Karzai.

The dubious nature of his current politicking can clearly be seen in his experience and history. His political experience is severely lacking. He used to be a supporter of the Taliban as late as 1998. The Taliban asked him to be their ambassador to the UN, but he said, "No thanks." This would have been his first foray into politics, but instead he was exiled to Pakistan. He swore revenge on the Taliban, and soon after, became a dear friend to the US (surprise surprise). Due to this vow of revenge, the US, looking for anyone to latch onto, appointed him as chairman of the Afghan Transitional Government, where he didn't do much.

In 2004, he won the first real election in Afghanistan in a long, long time (prior to 2004, I don't know if there was an legit election here. The Soviets put in their own pawn, and before that it was just a cycle of assassination-coup-repeat). Ok, so now he has some experience under his belt, but what has he done for the country?

Is it safer? No. Karzai can't even venture anywhere without a serious detachment of army to escort him. Afghan schoolgirls can't go to school without getting acid thrown in their faces. Unfortunately, every day is a matter of life and death for many Afghans. In Kabul, there are rocket attacks and other bombs going off on the regular. In the more rural areas, the Taliban still control everything. Yes, the guys riding around in pickup trucks with large turbans and AKs, not the friendliest of folks.

A man like Hamid Karzai can not lead such an abject country out of the darkness. Among his allies are tortuous warlords. In this election, Karzai's running mate is Mohammed Qasim Fahim. Needless to say, Karzai is courting many people known for serious criminal enterprises and mass murder. His own freakin' brother is the worst kind of asshole. The chair of a pronvincial council in the countries' second biggest city, Kandahar, Ahmed Wali Karzai is enormously powerful in Afghanistan. His power and immense wealth came from drug dealing, and he runs Southern Afghanistan like The Godfather. This has enabled him to make numerous dealings with the Taliban to ensure his brother, our beloved Hamid, wins the election. How about makin a freakin deal to stop killin people up all the time? Needless to say, Hamid's crookedness is rooted deep in his blood, and is visible all the way up to his slanted karakul.

And where has all the money gone? Billions of dollars of international aid are being squandered and pocketed by Karzai and his cronies. Meanwhile, the country is still in shambles. The poppy trade is still flourishing (poppies = heroin + opium). The Taliban is still killing and intimidating. And our tax dollars are goin' down the shitter.

The answer to these problems is not an easy one to find, and they will surely not be solved by a presidential election, especially one riddled with allegations of fraud and double-dealing. But I will tell you one thing, the reelection of Hamid Karzai will certainly not help the situation. He has shown is lack of governing skillz and he is corrupted to the worst possible degree. A new face is needed in Afghanistan if there is to be peace anytime soon. For the sake of Afghans, I hope that the election can be a starting point.