Afghanistan's governance catch-22

Spencer Ackerman ponders how the U.S. can convince the Karzai government to act responsibly, and writes that the U.S. "has billions of dollars of leverage."

I don't really think that's true. McChrystal's review calls for a strategy of population-centric counterinsurgency, which requires the U.S. to invest billions in Afghanistan. So Karzai knows the U.S. won't turn off the aid spigot -- that would be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

It's a catch-22. The U.S. needs a responsible Karzai government to implement a COIN strategy. But it can't coerce Karzai to act responsibly without undermining that same strategy.