A Poisoned Relationship

July 18, 2013

Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine
(Germany) on 9 July 2013
by Günther Nonnenmacher (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Kelly Barksdale. Edited by Kyrstie Lane.

The relationship between the Afghan President Karzai and the Obama administration is fundamentally damaged. The Pashtun leader has the — not incorrect — impression that Washington was against his re-election in 2009. The Americans, on the other hand, accuse Karzai of bestowing political favors that run counter to their own policy. They are also correct.

The latest blow to American-Afghan relations was the opening of the Taliban office in Qatar. So many mistakes and misunderstandings have piled up around this new office that the promised talks about it have yet to happen. Also unresolved is an even older question regarding a status of forces agreement for the continuing American presence after the withdrawal of troops, scheduled for the end of 2014.

Washington insists on full immunity for its soldiers; Karzai sees this as trespassing on Afghan sovereignty. Now Obama has threatened a complete withdrawal of troops if an agreement cannot be reached soon, which would not be in the interests of either side. But both sides’ concerns for prestige could give the threat a life of its own — just as it was in the case of Iraq.

Das Verhältnis zwischen dem afghanischen Präsidenten Karzai und der Obama-Regierung ist ziemlich gründlich verdorben. Der Paschtunen-Fürst hatte – nicht zu Unrecht – den Eindruck, dass Washington seine Wiederwahl im Jahr 2009 hintertreiben wollte; die Amerikaner wiederum werfen Karzai politische Extratouren vor, die ihrer eigenen Politik zuwiderlaufen – auch nicht zu Unrecht.

Das letzte Beispiel dafür war die Eröffnung eines Taliban-Büros in Qatar, bei dem sich Missgriffe und/oder Missverständnisse derart häuften, dass es bis heute nicht zu den angekündigten Gesprächen gekommen ist. Schon länger anhängig ist die Frage eines Truppenstatuts für die geplante amerikanische Präsenz nach dem Abzug der Kampftruppen Ende 2014.

Washington beharrt auf voller Immunität für seine Soldaten, Karzai sieht das als Einschränkung der afghanischen Souveränität an. Jetzt hat Obama mit einem restlosen Abzug gedroht, falls nicht bald eine Einigung erreicht wird. Das widerspricht den Interessen beider Seiten. Doch aus Prestigegründen könnte die Drohung zu einem Selbstläufer werden – so wie das zuvor schon einmal im Irak der Fall war.

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