GN Commentary: November 4, 2009 - Afghanistan's Cancelled Elections

Prophecies in the Bible indicate that Islamic fundamentalism isn't going away any time soon, and that the prestige and influence of the English-speaking powers will continue to wane. Events to play out in Afghanistan over the coming weeks, months and years may be key to these developments.

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Video Transcript

In spite of all the congratulations, Monday's news of the cancelling of Afghanistan's second round of presidential elections may not be good news for the west, nor for the United States, which is deeply involved in the conflict there. President Hamid Karzai was suddenly left as the last man standing after his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the runoff planned for Saturday, claiming the second-round election would be just as flawed as the first round. Many observers declared the August elections were tainted by fraud and corruption. The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission investigated and reported to Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission, resulting in some 18% of the ballots being thrown out.   

Let's recall  that it was from Afghanistan that the 9/11 attacks on New York City came, and that this war is one of the few areas of foreign policy on which presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have agreed. In fact, president Obama has described the Afghan war as a "war of necessity," unlike Iraq, a "war of choice."

So the prospect of a resurgent Taliban and allegations of voter fraud aren't good news. The western powers need a reliable ally in Afghanistan as a bulwark against the rise of Muslim fundamentalism in Asia. The cancellation of the runoff vote may be exactly the opposite of what was needed.  

A Washington Post article published on Monday describes president Karzai as a "wild card" for the US, and goes on to describe a cooler relationship between the Afghan leader and the current US president than the one that existed with former president Bush. But whatever the nature of the relationship, president Obama still faces the dilemma of whether to add some 40,000 new troops to the war effort in Afghanistan. The hope in Washington was to wait on a clear democratic decision from the Afghan people; that hope may now be dashed.

Where is all this leading? Relations between the US and the Muslim world have been strained for decades. The prospect of American equivocation and an uncomfortable alliance with an ally with questionable democratic credentials are likely to further damage American standing in the Muslim world.

Prophecies in the Bible indicate that Islamic fundamentalism isn't going away any time soon, and that the prestige and influence of the English-speaking powers will continue to wane. Events to play out in Afghanistan over the coming weeks, months and years may be key to these developments.

For GN Magazine, I'm Ralph Levy.