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World Powers Mull Afghan Exit

But Hamid Karzai thinks it'll be a while before his country's ready

By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 28, 2010 6:30 AM CST
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(Newser) – Delegates from about 70 nations met in London today to draft an exit strategy for the Afghanistan conflict, which, consensus has it, would involve handing security responsibilities over to local forces and seducing Taliban fighters with jobs and homes. In attendance were everyone from Hillary Clinton to Ban Ki-Moon to NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Gordon Brown called it a “decisive time” for the conflict. “By the middle of next year, we have to turn the tide,” he said.

But Hamid Karzai’s vision seemed a wee bit different; before the conference, he warned that Afghan forces wouldn't be ready to take over for five to 10 years. He also called on Saudi Arabia to take an active hand in peace negotiations that would include “all our countrymen, especially our disenchanted brothers who are not part of al-Qaeda or other terrorist networks.”

Gordon Brown and Hamid Karzai pose for the media as they arrive for the opening session of the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in central London, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010.
Gordon Brown and Hamid Karzai pose for the media as they arrive for the opening session of the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in central London, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010.   (LEFTERIS PITARAKIS)
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, talk as she arrives for the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in central London, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, talk as she arrives for the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in central London, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010.   (LEFTERIS PITARAKIS)
U.S. secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, speaks with the Aga Khan, left, prior to a group photo at the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in London, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010.
U.S. secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, speaks with the Aga Khan, left, prior to a group photo at the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in London, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010.   (Alastair Grant)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, left, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, right, are seen prior to a group photo at the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in London, Jan. 28, 2010.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, left, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, right, are seen prior to a group photo at the Afghanistan Conference at Lancaster House in London, Jan. 28, 2010.   (Alastair Grant)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
RogerMohajir
Jan 28, 2010 3:38 AM CST
Oops, forgot to mention Tajiks and Ismailis (and probably other important groups -- there are that many). And, believe me, these "differences" are exponentially greater than those that exist in America or any other functioning country, with the possible exception of India.
RogerMohajir
Jan 28, 2010 3:32 AM CST
Neither Karzai, nor anyone else can insist "that the tribes of Afghanistan find their common identity as Afghans." National identity doesn't happen at any person or entity's insistence; it happens organically over time. Given that it hasn't happened in Afghanistan over hundreds of years, maybe we need to accept that there will not be a unified Afghan people (as we would define it), and plan accordingly. Rather than impose a centralized government model, we need to encourage the return to what HAS worked in Afghanistan in the past, an equilibrium of conflicting and complementary interests among wildly diverse populations (Sunni and Shia, Central Asian and South Asian, Persian, Turkic, Pushtun, Uzbek, Mongolian, etc.) who have shown a decided disinterest in identifying with the artificial political boundaries that define "Afghanistan."
EddyTeach
Jan 28, 2010 3:13 AM CST
Hamid Karzai is key. If he continues to drag his heels and blame foreign nations for his country's malaise, we will never have the proper circumstances to exit confidently. He must find a spine and begin exercising what is often called "leadership"-- insisting that the tribes of Afghanistan find their common identity as Afghans and take responsibility for their own security and prosperity.

 
Afghanistan • United Nations • NATO • Gordon Brown • Hamid Karzai • Anders Fogh Rasmussen • Ban Ki-moon • Afghanistan exit strategy

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