Can Petraeus Trust Karzai?

11 July 2010 |permalink | email article

As he took charge of the war effort in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus boldly declared that “we are in this to win.” But if his initial meeting with President Hamid Karzai last week is any indication the commander got a hard lesson in reality: Afghanistan is not Iraq. Saturday’s death of six Americans – five in regions where the Taliban influence is strong, and the number of service members killed so far in July, and 224 this year – is an inauspicious omen. 

Facing Petraeus was the double-dealing Afghan leader’s renewed objections to a plan to recruit villagers into local defense programs which is a key part of the U.S. military strategy, the Washington Post reported Saturday. It poses an early challenge to Petraeus as he tries to fashion a collaborative relationship with Kabul.

The U.S. initiative was developed under Petraeus’s predecessor, ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal. But when Petraeus commanded the Iraq war, U.S. forces partnered with tens of thousands of civilian guards, including former insurgents, who fought against the group al-Qaeda in Iraq. 

The Post noted that despite his tensions with other U.S. officials, McChrystal formed a close working relationship with Karzai who was the first to vouch for his retention by President Obama. “The question of whether Petraeus can replicate that bond remains a significant uncertainty hanging over the war effort.”

Quotable

“Soccer may be an import, as is our entire nonaboriginal population, but it’s well on it’s way to becoming as American as pizza, tacos and French fries.” The New Yorker, July 12 & 19

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