Going Rogue, by Hamid Karzai

VFR’s Canadian leftist reader Ken Hechtman (who was briefly arrested by the Taliban as an American spy in 2001) writes:

On the subject of predictions, here’s one I got right that NOBODY in the antiwar movement wanted to hear back in 2002. I said then that Karzai was more than just an American puppet and that he wanted to do better than be the leader of half a country.

I said it was a mistake for the antiwar left to attack Karzai personally because someday he’d try to become part of the solution even if that meant breaking with the Americans.

And now see this:

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday took another step away from the international coalition supporting him, suggesting NATO’s massive Kandahar province summer offensive may not go ahead.

At a fractious “jirga” meeting of about 2,000 tribal elders, politicians and citizens from Kandahar province and neighbouring provinces, Karzai asked those assembled if they were worried about the operation, expected to be NATO’s largest-yet in Afghanistan.

“We are worried!” many shouted back. Karzai then assured them, “There will be no operation unless you are happy.”

And this:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai twice threatened to quit politics and join the Taliban if the West continued to pressure him to enact reforms, legislators said Monday.

Karzai issued the threat during a private meeting with Afghan lawmakers on the weekend. People at the meeting said they thought Karzai’s comments were aimed at hardline members of parliament.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at April 08, 2010 01:59 PM | Send