The Election Dilemma

“The core goal of the U.S. must be to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan.” The U.S. Embassy web site states this goal with clarity. However, the hope of achieving this goal currently rests on Afghanistan’s contested election results.
The United States is in a difficult dilemma. While public support for the Afghan War seems to be falling in the U.S., questions have been raised as to the validity of the election results. Election officials are recounting about ten percent of the ballots. If incumbent President Hamid Karzai receives more than fifty percent of the vote, then he will be declared the winner. America would then know exactly where they stand with the Afghan government and could move forward with their goals. Deciding on counterinsurgency strategy and fighting government corruption would top the list. However, if Karzai is awarded less than fifty percent of the vote, then a runoff election would take place. The elections could then be delayed until spring, setting back the United States and her allies in their plans at a time when indecision is not an option.
It is important, though, that the United States does everything possible to promote the democratic elections in Afghanistan. This is indeed essential to success in the War on Terror. “A runoff would be preferable to a discredited first-round Karzai victory,” Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution told The New York Times. The U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, has encouraged Karzai to accept the election results, even if it means having a runoff election with Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai, however, fears that this will spark ethnic violence.
The fact remains that a stable, legitimate government is necessary in order for the U.S. to move forward in Afghanistan. The New York Times reports, “‘There is an exquisite dilemma here,’ said Bruce Riedel... ‘The strategy requires an Afghan government that is credible and legitimate, both to get Afghans to support it and to get Americans and their allies to help.’”
http://www.uspolicy.be/issues/afghanistan/afghanistan.asp
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6813478.ece
http://www.rferl.org/content/US_Warns_Karzai_On_Fraud_Corruption_Military_Ties/1809368.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/world/asia/18policy.html?scp=1&sq=Afganistan%20elections&st=cse