Hamid Karzai's election setback
What the Afghan president's resistance to a runoff means for his country, and for President Obama
How's this for a "major test for a young president," said Jake Tapper in ABC News. "As feared, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is refusing to accept" the conclusion of a United Nations review that there was "so much fraud" in the August election that Karzai didn't win 50 percent of the vote and must enter a runoff election with former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said this puts on hold any decision on U.S. troop levels, and raises doubt about whether we have a credible partner in the Afghan government.
Rahm Emanuel's warning, said Joe Klein in Time, "seemed designed to pressure Hamid Karzai to allow a runoff election and clean up his act." But it also sent a message to Abdullah Abdullah, who ran second in the election, that he needs to "make a deal with Karzai now." Abdullah may be the man of Afghanistan's future, but most analysts think Hamid Karzai—"who is Pashtun royalty—will win a head-to-head" runoff, so Abdullah should concede now in return for a power-sharing agreement if he wants some power right away.
A delay in the election might not be a bad thing for the U.S., said Gerald F. Seib in The Wall Street Journal. Yes, it "could slow down the Obama administration’s decision about how many troops to send and what strategy to pursue. And that isn’t a good thing." But a runoff will remove the questions about President Hamid Karzai that have been "hanging over Afghanistan for weeks—and by extension over American policy in Afghanistan." If Karzai agrees to a runoff and wins, he "could possibly emerge from the election controversy appearing to be the kind of solid leader American officials need" to continue stabilizing Afghanistan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Liz Truss to save the West: is a political comeback really on the cards?
Talking Point The former prime minister is back with a new tell-all memoir
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Fallout: one of the 'most faithful – and best – video game adaptations'
The Week Recommends This 'genre-bending' new Amazon series is set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness where survivors shelter below ground
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Test of faith for Trump Media's investors'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published