Dirty Business: the Kandahar Massacre
The nocturnal massacre carried out by a lone gunman in Kandahar is not only a propaganda loss, but also a moral one. Undoubtedly, this was an act carried out by a troubled soul, but in the propaganda struggle, the entire NATO mission has taken a hit.
The event is a PR nightmare. Washington is currently holding talks with Kabul concerning the conditions for stationing American troops until 2014. The agreement for strategic partnership will have to be put on hold for a while, at the very least. President Karzai cannot risk signing an agreement that might lead to a similar incident.
Meanwhile, Washington is in desperate need of such an agreement. Without it, the American armed forces cannot retreat according to plan. The original idea was to leave gradually and replace troops with special "advisers." Prisons holding the Taliban would be gradually transferred. Thanks to the Kandahar incident, the plan is in grave danger of never being implemented. It is increasingly more difficult to justify the NATO occupation of Afghanistan. The crime in Kandahar is a sign of overall disillusionment and frustration with the mission. Everyone can see that the cons heavily outweigh the pros. Almost 3,000 soldiers have died, and $500 billion has been spent by the U.S. with very little to show for it.
What has the American occupation accomplished over the past 11 years? Mullah Omar's regime had been abolished, and the Afghan emirate was destroyed. In the eyes of the people, however, Karzai hasn't been much better than Omar. Corruption is a daily occurrence, there is an impending radicalization of the population, and the regime is trying to play both sides. Without the support of a majority of the locals, nothing will be done, plain and simple.
The event is a PR nightmare. Washington is currently holding talks with Kabul concerning the conditions for stationing American troops until 2014. The agreement for strategic partnership will have to be put on hold for a while, at the very least. President Karzai cannot risk signing an agreement that might lead to a similar incident.
Meanwhile, Washington is in desperate need of such an agreement. Without it, the American armed forces cannot retreat according to plan. The original idea was to leave gradually and replace troops with special "advisers." Prisons holding the Taliban would be gradually transferred. Thanks to the Kandahar incident, the plan is in grave danger of never being implemented. It is increasingly more difficult to justify the NATO occupation of Afghanistan. The crime in Kandahar is a sign of overall disillusionment and frustration with the mission. Everyone can see that the cons heavily outweigh the pros. Almost 3,000 soldiers have died, and $500 billion has been spent by the U.S. with very little to show for it.
What has the American occupation accomplished over the past 11 years? Mullah Omar's regime had been abolished, and the Afghan emirate was destroyed. In the eyes of the people, however, Karzai hasn't been much better than Omar. Corruption is a daily occurrence, there is an impending radicalization of the population, and the regime is trying to play both sides. Without the support of a majority of the locals, nothing will be done, plain and simple.
… not to mention the gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan, the other reason why the US invaded in the first place. That’s going nowhere, and Pakistan, which is enduring a severe energy crisis, is trying to make other arrangements — namely, the Iran-Pakistan pipeline, which for the obvious reason the US doesn’t like and won’t stand for.
The US has lost almost every battle in this “great game” of Asian energy. Obama should just cut his losses, get out of there, and let Asia pursue its own destiny. The world is moving away from unipolarity to multipolarity. Get used to it.