No honest broker in sight

Earlier today, about a mile from where I write, Hamid Karzai gave his inauguration speech at the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul’s heavily fortified “Green Zone.” Present were representatives from some 40 countries, including the many Western nations so heavily invested — financially and militarily — in Afghanistan’s future. Among the honor roll at the November 19 speech were United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Foreign Minister David Miliband and his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner. It is with mixed sentiments, and more than a touch of irony, that these champions of democracy extended their hand to Karzai, given that the election granting him a second presidential term has been almost unanimously condemned as fraudulent. Before the election campaigns even began, it was clear Karzai had fallen out of grace with the West — a result of his previous administration’s abominable record fighting corruption and curbing the drug trade.