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To: zonder who wrote (150185)	11/18/2002 10:56:29 AM
From: Victor Lazlo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

<< that American soldiers are protecting him because he cannot trust his own people. >> Many of the people in Afghan are loyal to the new govt. After all, the brutal gangsta taliban and al qeada thugs were horrible to the people there. However, as you know there has to be support form the US to keep the taliban and al qeada thugs from coming back. Maybe you miss the point completely. Karzai is a pro-US oil guy. He will put together the oil pipeline in Afghanistan. If you think this is a coincidence, and that Karzai's life in the US and Western Europe and his work in US oil companies means his people would of course love him to be their leader and that must be why the US put him into power, I am wide-eyed in wonder - you must have led a sheltered life.

To: zonder who wrote (150185)	11/18/2002 11:02:33 AM
From: Oeconomicus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

Karzai got his position because he was trusted by more factions in Afghanistan than any alternative leader (and, to a lesser extent, because he had the support of the west, but that support came precisely because he was the only one seen to be broadly acceptable within Afghanistan). He is not some "oil guy" who went back to gain power and wealth as a puppet of the west, but an Afghan tribal leader who risked (is risking) his life, returning while the Taliban (who would have killed him without a thought, given the chance) was still in power to garner support among his Pashtun tribesmen to join the fight against the Taliban and try to bring peace, stability and liberty to his native country. As for his American protection, how does that make him either unliked or an American puppet? The fact is that Afghanistan is still a dangerous place, with remnants of the Taliban and Al Queda remaining hidden and armed, and with many warlords still armed and dangerous. In case you don't understand how these things work, warlords maintain their power and (relative) wealth by fomenting instability, not peace. Their power is threatened by the creation of strong institutions of democratic government. It is not surprising that Karzai would need protection from a trusted third party at this stage of his efforts and that does not imply to me that he is a puppet, that he does not have the support of the Afghan people, or that he will ultimately fail. If we did not help protect him and his efforts, we would be rightly charged with abandoning the Afghan people. As for any pipelines, it makes perfect sense to me for Karzai to seek development projects - oil related or otherwise. Economic development, better education, a strong and fair system of justice - these are the things Karzai is trying to promote and the things which will result in peace and stability in the long-run. Would you have him do something different? Bob PS: Even better if we end up with both Pakistan AND India involved in the pipeline. Economic ties promote peace, not conflict.