Showing posts with label Karzai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karzai. Show all posts

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Karzai Clan Wary of Corruption Investigations - Book Ticket for Dubai

Okay. I am just kidding. Hamid Karzai has not booked a ticket to Dubai (where his palatial palaces have been built with western aid money). He doesn't have to book a ticket as he probably has his own private plane. The new president of Afghanistan, President Ghani, has reopened a number of high-profile corruption cases (including the notorious Kabul Bank investigation) and that has the Karzai clan very worried. Two of the Karzai clan (one brother of Hamid) were implicated in the bank scandal and were forced to repay millions of dollars to avoid jail time; however, . . . the money was never repaid. President Karzai granted immunity to the guilty parties and they are still free living the high life in Kabul. Hmmmm, maybe they will need to head to the airport and get on a Safi flight before they end up behind bars. Read more in "Afghanistan: Karzais On The Run", Strategy Page, October 17, 2014.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Kabul Bank Scandal Revisited

The brother of former President Karzai still owes millions of dollars to the Kabul Bank. Mahmud Karzai was listed as owing $22 million on loans from the Kabul Bank and has only paid back $13 million. As part of his immunity from prosecution he was supposed to pay back the entire loan to avoid prison time. He was spared prosecution under a decree by former President Karzai (his brother) as long as he returned the funds. So . . . does he cough up the other $10 million or does he go to jail? The new president (Ghani) has re-opened up the Kabul Bank investigation. Read more on this topic in "Afghan Watchdog Says Ex-Leaders' Brothers Owe in Bank Scandal", Radio Free Europe, October 7, 2014. 

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Quotes by Karzai

President Karzai is gone (good riddance). But he will be remembered in part by his famous quotes.  A few are listed below. You can read more quotes of Karzai in "The Eminently Quotable Karzai", Radio Free Europe,  September 29, 2014.

"If you and the international community pressure me more, I swear that I am going to join the Taliban".
"Let's pray for God to rescue us from these two demons [the United States and the Taliban]. There are two demons in our country now"

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Karzai's Parting Shot

"We don't have peace because the Americans didn't want peace".

"To the U.S. government, give them my anger, my extreme anger".

These quotes are just a few that Karzai has delivered to a nation that lost thousands of its young men and billions of dollars (much of that money now in Karzai's Dubai bank accounts). However, Karzai is not the first ungrateful foreign leader to take the money and run. Read "Karzai joins a long list of leaders ungrateful for U.S. support", The Washington Post, September 25, 2014.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Karzai Warns about U.S. Intentions

In a recent speech the President of Afghanistan (outgoing thank goodness) Karzai warned the incoming Afghan government leaders to beware of the United States. Karzai stated that the Afghan peace process failed because America did not want peace. Read more in "Afghan President Karzai warns successors to beware of US", BBC News Asia, September 23, 2014. See also "Afghan President Hamid Karzai slams U.S. government policy in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, September 23, 2014.

Amb Crocker Responds to Karzai Statements

Former Ambassador Crocker (to Afghanistan) reacted to President Karzai's outlandish statements about why the United States invaded Afghanistan. Crocker says that Karzai knows the invasion was in the best interests of Afghanistan. Read more in "Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Reacts to Karzai's Criticisms", Voice of America, September 23, 2014.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Obama to Karzai: Time is Running Out on BSA

President Obama had a phone conversation with President Karzai (the Mayor of Kabul) to impress upon him that time is running out for the signing of a Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States. Read more in "Obama gives Karzai warning", DEFCON Hill Blog, February 25, 2014.

Friday, February 21, 2014

A Paranoid Karzai

President Hamid Karzai's strange behavior has generated a lot of uncertainty and confusion. His refusal to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement, release of dangerous insurgents from the high-security detention center at Bagram, accusations that the U.S. was behind the recent Kabul restaurant bombing, and false propaganda about civilian casualties has put into question his sanity, his motives, and the future of Afghanistan post-2014. Some observers are trying to figure out Karzai; David DeVoss provides his insight. Read more in "Paranoia in Kabul", The Weekly Standard, February 24, 2014.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Afghanistan's Plan B

The Karzai regime has been continuing and increasing its verbal attacks against the United States. At risk is the continued presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan post-2014 to continue the Security Force Assistance (SFA) mission (Resolute Support) and the many millions of dollars in foreign aid that will be tied to that SFA mission. However, Karzai may be willing to walk away from the advisors and the aid because he has a Plan B. Plan B could very well involve increases in support from Iran and India. Read more in "Could Iran and India be Afghanistan's Plan B", The Diplomat, February 14, 2014.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Relations Between Afghan Government and US Worsen

President Hamid Karzai has been increasing the volume in registering his discontent with the United States and the lack of respect the US has for Afghan sovereignty. The US is very concerned about Karzai not signing the Bilateral Security Agreement and the recent release of 65 dangerous detainees. Read more in "Karzai criticises lack of US respect for Afghan sovereignty as relations worsen", The Guardian, February 13, 2014.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Fox News Calls Karzai Villain Who Should be Tried for Corruption

Fox News (Bill O'Reilly) has stated that President Hamid Karzai is a "villain" and should be tried for corruption. Read more here on Fox News Insider.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Explaining Karzai - Peter Tomsen Gives it a Shot

Peter Tomsen provides us with his insight on Karzai and his anti-American rhetoric. While we may feel that Karzai has left his senses others are thinking he is ensuring his future and his legacy in Afghanistan. Tomsen is a former U.S. special envoy and ambassador on Afghanistan from 1989 to 1992. He also published a book on the wars of Afghanistan. Read more in "What Is Hamid Karzai Thinking? And should we even care anymore?", Politico.com, February 10, 2014.

Karzai Sidelined

The rhetoric of Hamid Karzai has been muted. The U.S. politicians and military brass (of ISAF) have be preening up to Karzai for so long that it was getting rather sickening. However Karzai finally pushed it too far. The most important event for the Afghan state and its security, next to the Afghan election this April, is the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement that will allow U.S. and NATO troops to remain in Afghanistan in a counter-terrorist and Security Force Assistance role beyond December 2014. It was hoped that Karzai would sign the Bilateral Security Agreement in early Fall of 2013. Instead he delayed it time and again while verbally attacking the United States on every issue imaginable. We (ISAF) kept cow-towing to him but it would appear that has finally stopped. Someone (Obama, General Dunford, Hagel?) has suddenly developed a little common sense and a set of Br*** B****. It seems (hopefully) that we are now waiting on the results of the election to see if the new President will sign the agreement. Can you spell "Lame Duck". It is easy: "Karzai".

Friday, February 14, 2014

Karzai Says U.S. is Harassing Afghanistan Over Detainee Issue

Karzai continues to poke his fingers in our eyes. The latest news from Karzai is that the United States is 'harassing' him over the recent release of 65 detainees from the Bagram high-security detention center. Read more in "Karzai: US 'harassing' Afghanistan over detainee release", DEFCON Hill Defense Blog, February 13, 2014.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Karzai's Vilification of America is Playing With Fire

President Karzai's incoherent actions aimed at the United States has perplexed many and worried many more. He risks losing it all for Afghanistan. Sure, he will be fine. As one of the most corrupt leaders in the world he has squirreled away billions in Dubai banks for his very comfortable retirement. But it is Afghanistan that everyone worries about. Read more in "Playing with fire", The Economist, February 1, 2014.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Sarah Chayes on Karzai - A Cozy Relationship with The Taliban

Many believe that President Hamid Karzai's behavior toward the United States is erratic and inconsistent and are having difficulty on figuring out why he has 'turned on the U.S'. Most point to the non-signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement, release of detainees with histories of attacking Americans, and his periodic out-bursts on night raids, civilian casualties, negotiations with the Taliban, and more. One very knowledgeable and long-term observer of the Afghan scene says that we shouldn't be surprised at Karzai's behavior - pointing to a "cozy history" with the Taliban in the past. Read Sarah Chayes latest opinion piece in "Hamid Karzai's cozy history with the Taliban", Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2014.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Figuring Out Karzai - Mission Impossible

President Karzai has been called many names to include trusted ally, erratic leader, drug-user, loose cannon, closet Taliban, ingrate, king-of-corruption, and lame-duck. He is hard to figure out. One news article provides different interpretations of his strange behavior to the US and NATO. Read "Hamid Karzai's survival strategy", The National Post, February 6, 2014.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Karzai Clan and the Taliban: Not That Far Apart

An interesting article is available for reading on Strategy Page. The author goes into great detail explaining how and why corruption works in Afghanistan and then ties the Karzai clan and Taliban into the overall narrative. Worth reading. See "Afghanistan: Why the Karzai Clan Supports the Taliban", January 31, 2014.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Karzai Continues to Demonize the U.S. Forces

The Karzai verbal onslaught against the U.S. military in Afghanistan continues. He now says that we are aided in or conducted insurgent-style attacks to undermine his government. Folks are trying to figure out what is driving his insanity - appeasement to the Taliban, improving his legacy of standing up to a superpower, hedging his bets and casting blame on the U.S. for failure after December 2014? No one really has a handle on his motivation. (Perhaps just too much drug use? A secret plant of the Taliban?). Read more in "Karzai suspects U.S. is behind insurgent-style attacks, Afghan officials say", The Washington Post, January 28, 2014.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Karzai Ramps Up Anti-U.S. Rhetoric

Karzai continues to demonstrate that he is either a cunning politician with an eye to the future and his legacy or a complete idiot and ungrateful fool. History will judge him on this. In recent weeks he has increased his verbal assault on the United States and continues to refuse to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement. Read more in "Afghanistan president Karzai ramps up anti-American rhetoric, demands airstrikes end", Fox News, January 20, 2014.