Echoes from Afghanistan

It did not come as a surprise. After what looked like Guantanamo-style behind-the-scenes arm twisting, the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Kazai, has finally agreed to a run off between himself and his arch-rival, Abdula Abdula. It will be recalled that at the end of the elections, the opposition cried foul but nobody listened. Those who complained lost their jobs in the process.

The elections, which were fatally flawed from the beginning placed the American President, Barack Obama in a very awkward position. Faced with mounting pressure from Congress, President Obama is deep in the process of deciding whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan. Most Americans, including Members of Congress, think there is no point sending more troops if the government of the day is not credible and reliable.

The lessons from Afghanistan are very loud and clear. If you want to dine with a King then you must wash your hands clean – very clean indeed! If America, the referee of liberal democracy in the world must come to your aid, then you must practice democracy their own way. The third world system of win at all costs is just not good enough. If you must win, please win clean!

The second lesson is that in acknowledging that the elections were fraudulent and therefore required a run off, Hamid Kazai noted that he was bowing to pressure in the interest of the people of Afghanistan. He knows that the flip side of the coin is ugly. Politicians and political leaders must always consider the interest of the people and place such interest above their own no matter what is at stake. This is a lesson third world leaders must learn sooner rather than later!

Tata, everybody

Napoleon