US to Karzai: Clean Up Corruption or ... Nothing

Threatening troop withdrawal like threatening suicide: 'stupid'

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 12, 2009 11:59 AM CST

(Newser) – President Obama is gravely serious about pressuring Hamid Karzai to reel in Afghan corruption—but has almost zero “or else” options. The most logical threat to entice Karzai to clean up his government, pulling out US troops, is “stupid,” a former ambassador tells the New York Times, as it would destabilize the region and run entirely counter to our interests. “And Karzai knows that.”

The ambassador compares that sort of pressure to a scene in Blazing Saddles where a character “holds the gun to his own head and threatens to shoot himself.” One meager option would be to pull some troops and switch to the limited counter-insurgency approach favored by Joe Biden. Experts feel Karzai is propped up by the US’s centralized military presence, and would justifiably fear his own overthrow if it were dissipated, making him more amenable to US demands.

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

Afghan incumbent President Hamid Karzai greets the media after a press conference in Kabul, Thursday Aug. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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The argument that we could pull out of Afghanistan if Karzai doesn’t do what we say is stupid. We couldn’t get the Pakistanis to fight if we leave Afghanistan; we couldn’t accomplish what we’ve set out to do. And Karzai knows that. - Ronald E. Neumann, former ambassador

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 11 comments

thejoint00

Nov 13, 2009 6:07 AM CST

courage during vietnam. to quit?! quiting is easy. but it just Courage during Vietnam? To quit?! Quitting is easy. But it just leaves a wide open door for your opponent to exploit your weakness. Bush sr. was spot on when he went after Husain in the gulf war. After period of kicking dirt around on the issue and turning our backs on reality, Jr comes along and re-engages the issues that should have been rectified when it was started. Go ahead America/Americans, pull back. Quit, if that's what pleases you. Kim Jong Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are just waiting for yet another ally that can prove America is weaker than the status it holds and encourage others to rip it apart.a wide open door for your opponent to exploit your weekness. Bush sr. was spot on when he went after Husain in the gulf war. After period of kicking dirt around on the issue and turning our backs on reality, jr comes along and re-engages the issues that should have been rectified when it was started. Go ahead america/americans, pull back. Quit, if that's what pleases you. Kim Jong Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are just waiting for yet another allie that can prove america is weaker than the status it holds and encourage others to rip it apart.

thejoint00

Nov 13, 2009 5:48 AM CST

60k is number of recently asked for troops- far less than what is actually there. spot on though, america has a occupation in the country. no such thing as freedom when some other nation is using it as a war platform.

Spudsy

Nov 13, 2009 3:40 AM CST

Our only interest is in defeating Al Qaida when they were there in 2001. Now we should offer to restore the Taliban to power if they hand us Bin Laden. Followed by years of aid money. Which is cheaper than our young soldiers lives.

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Politics • World

Pakistan • Hamid Karzai • US military • threats • Afghanistan war • Obama administration • public corruption • Afghan election

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US to Karzai: Clean Up Corruption or ... Nothing