A New Afghan Strategy

Leaning on Karzai

Gregg Carlstrom | October 14, 2009 8:15 PM | 0 | recommend (0) |   |      

Andrew Exum doesn't mind that Obama is taking a long time to craft a new Afghan strategy, so long as he uses that time to lean on Hamid Karzai.

At this moment in time, we have some leverage. But it will go away once the president commits one way or another.

Fine. I'm sure Richard Holbrooke has extracted some grand promises from Karzai over the last few weeks. But what happens after Obama commits to a strategy? The leverage disappears; Karzai can break any promises he wants; and the U.S. finds itself fighting a counterinsurgency on behalf of a totally unaccountable government.

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Categories: Afghanistan, Regional News, War and Terrorism, War in Afghanistan

Tags: Andrew Exum, Barack Obama, counterinsurgency, Hamid Karzai

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