Karzai’s Council to Approve US Presence Through 2024
The Afghan president is being criticized by MPs that the loya jirga is handpicked and meant to legitimate continued occupation
About 2,000 Afghan elders will gather this week for a loya jirga, or grand council, with President Hamid Karzai, who is seeking support for a security partnership with the U.S. that would keep American troops in Afghanistan for a decade past 2014.
The council will negotiate what might be the acceptable terms of a bilateral security agreement that would govern U.S. military presence in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future. But some see it as a political power play for Karzai.
Karzai’s former presidential challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, criticized the idea of Karzai hand-picking a group of people to speak for and somehow constitute the wishes of over 34 million Afghans. Many point to overwhelming Afghan opposition to such an agreement as exactly what Karzai is trying to avoid.
Many in the Afghan parliament are angry that they are being sidelined for a group of presumably pro-Karzai elders. ”The real representatives of the people are in parliament, said Nasrullah Sadiqizada Nili, a lawmaker from Day Kundi province. “We have been elected. The jirga delegates have only been selected by the administration.”
The Taliban have condemned the jirga as an attempt by the U.S. to orchestrate a permanent military presence in Afghanistan. The meeting is supposed to start Wednesday and last a number of days.
Last 5 posts by John Glaser
- Up to 34 Dead in US-Aided Yemen Offensive - May 26th, 2012
- US Sailor is 3,000th to Die in Afghanistan War - May 26th, 2012
- US Drone Kills 4 in Pakistan Bakery - May 26th, 2012
- US Official Denies Israel Has Pushed Obama to a Harder Line on Iran - May 26th, 2012
- Owner of Pentagon's Propaganda Firm Admits to Attacks on Journalists - May 24th, 2012
curmudgeonvt
November 15th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Kind of makes one wonder why they bothered to elect a Parliament when Karzai is only going to ignore them when it's evident he isn't going to get his way. One might start to believe that Karzai and his administration were…corrupt.
Mistic
November 15th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
I wonder what is the going rate to buy a member on Grand Jirga?
Bruce Richardson
November 16th, 2011 at 6:20 am
This is a classic "no-brainer." Of course those who have acheived economic and political upward mobility and advantage, wish for their employers (the US military) to guarantee their continued power and security with a permanent presence in country. For the average Afghan, however, this hand-selected Jirga which will undoubtedly approve US troops remaining until 2024 amounts to a continuation of foreign occupation. Said occupation has their eye on the vaunted energy reserves extant in the Caspian Basin, and strategic proximity to Iran, now in their cross-hairs. Therein lies the real motive for a continued US presence.
Brad_Smith2
November 16th, 2011 at 8:28 am
A Loya Jirga is just a meeting of elders. At one time this was how things were resloved, all the tribes sent elders to speak for them. However, if you don't invite tribes other than your own it's worth nothing.
All this said was that the Popalzai tribe and it's interconnected tribes had a meeting and said it was in their best interest to have us around. Yah I bet it is!! Without us they would be out of power.
thedissenter
November 16th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Every time I see references like this to a decade down the road, I have to laugh my ass off. They imperialists actually think that they have another 10 years. Ha ha ha! They won't even be making it thru the next yet they're making plans for occupation for the next 10. Now, that's what I call cognitive dissonance!
Jason Ditz « Antiwar Radio with Scott Horton
November 17th, 2011 at 7:38 am
[...] Bush (though Obama certainly tried to stay longer); the proposed agreement that will allow the US occupation of Afghanistan to continue through 2024; and how Pakistan’s military relied on Google Earth maps to target its tribal areas for [...]