Department of Wishful Thinking

Karzai: Ponies for everyone

Hamid Karzai vows to fight corruption in Afghanistan and create an inclusive government. The Guardian, analyzing Karzai's sudden fondness for transparency, dryly notes:

Karzai echoed the commitments that his western backers had pushed him to accept, including appointing a clean government and making progress in peace negotiations with the Taliban.

Standing next to Karzai as he made this announcement was Muhammad Qasim Fahim, one of his vice presidents -- and a notorious Afghan drug lord. (No word on whether Rashid Dostum was in the audience, too.)

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Former drug lord? I wonder. Maybe he wants to help the government put his rivals out of business so he can have a monopoly in the area he has paid the government to help him control.

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U.S. poll: Karzai won't win in first round

Hamid Karzai will not win the Afghan election in the first round, according to a new poll funded by the U.S. government. It found just 36% support for Karzai; his closest rival, Abdullah Abdullah, polled around 20%.

Karzai: Obama's out to get me!

In an interview with Le Figaro, Hamid Karzai blames his deepening unpopularity on U.S. meddling, and says American criticism of his drug-dealing vice president is actually 'an attack on me.'

EU's Stevenson alleges further voter fraud in Baghdad

Jumblatt to Assad: I'm sorry!

Petraeus: Israeli-Arab conflict endangering U.S. interests

Al-Akhbar: Our weekly brief

Peace Processing

Fallout from Biden's visit: West Bank sealed off; proximity talks appear stalled

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas greets U.S. vice president Joe Biden in Ramallah. (Photo: AFP)
As Joe Biden wraps up his Middle East tour, Palestinian officials say they're unwilling to move forward with proximity talks unless Israel cancels its new construction in East Jerusalem; and the Israeli Defense Forces have sealed off the West Bank for 48 hours, reportedly for security concerns. Several people were injured and arrested in fighting at the Al-Aqsa mosque this morning.

Peace Processing

Biden arrives in Israel amid serious Palestinian doubts

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife arrived in Israel on Monday.
As Joe Biden lands in Israel, the Israeli government -- obviously keen to demonstrate that it's serious about restarting peace talks -- announced Monday that it will violate its West Bank settlement freeze and build 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, a settlement west of Bethlehem.

Iraqi Elections

Polls close in Iraq; media reports suggest strong turnout, relative calm

An Iraqi man on a bicycle displays his ink-stained finger after voting in Baghdad on March 7, 2010. (Photo: AP)
A handful of insurgent attacks around the country killed two dozen people, but Iraqi security forces seemed generally confident; the vehicle ban in Baghdad, scheduled to last all day, was lifted before noon. Anecdotal reports suggest a strong turnout across the country.