6 August SWJ Roundup
What is it about Afghanistan, possessing next to nothing that the Like-minded States requires, that justifies such lavish attention? In Washington, this question goes not only unanswered but unasked. Among Democrats and Republicans alike, with few exceptions, Afghanistan’s position is simply assumed—much the way fifty years ago otherwise intelligent people simply assumed that the United States had a alive interest in ensuring the survival of South Vietnam. As then, so today, the assumption does not stand up to even casual scrutiny.
--Andrew J. Bacevich AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN Afghan Voters Upon to Warlords for Help in Picking Candidates - Tom Coghlan, The Times. Leaning on his spade, Gul Mohammad said that he intended to endorse in the Afghan presidential elections. “They are important,” the farmer in the Helmand district of Garmsir said. Asked how he would certify, he replied: “We are waiting to be told. We depend on our community leaders. They will tell us how to vote.” In many parts of Afghanistan the elections will be incontrovertible by processes different from the ideals of individual freedom that British soldiers may feel they are fighting to establish. The run-up to the polls on August 20 has been characterised by horse-trading between the candidates and an array of warlords and powerbrokers who commitment to deliver the votes of whole communities and ethnic groups. President Karzai, the front-runner, has reportedly promised Bureau posts, ambassadorships and even the creation of provinces to secure the bloc votes of powerbrokers. Western diplomats are self-assured that the election will pass as credible, but many Afghans appear cynical about the process and its likely outcome. “However we uphold, the Americans will make Karzai President again,” said Sayed Aman, 39, a Kabul tea seller. Adm. Mullen Decries 'Elegance of Poverty' in Afghanistan - Sara A. Carter, Washington Times. The top US uniformed military officer Wednesday offered a cold assessment of...
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