Much has been made recently in the mainstream media of John Kerry’s ascension to senior adviser to President Obama on matters of war. He was feted as he left for Afghanistan to demand new elections, an endeavor in which he succeeded. he was feted again when he returned home. Pity the Afghans don’t see things in the same light.
The elections scheduled for November 7 will probably now not occur, as Abdullah Abdullah, President Karzai’s opponent, has withdrawn from the campaign and expressed his willingness to work with Karzai after attempting to strong-arm him into firing senior election officials 1 week prior to the election. The Afghans themselves as well as many international observers are breathing sighs of relief as the threat from the Taliban may now be reduced and the guaranteed general mayhem of a Central Asian election will be avoided. The one thing Afghanistan needs most right now is stability. The country has virtually ground to a halt since the uncertainty began in late August and needs desperately to restart its economy.
And what of Mr. Kerry’s, and by extension, Mr. Obama’s strategy? According to insiders, this was a key metric in the President’s decision-making process on sending additional troops. Was it all just a waste of time? It would seem so. Once again, the President has come down hard on an ally and been left looking foolish.
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