It comes as no big surprise that another Middle Eastern election has ended in controversy and corruption. In Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai was declared victorious after his only opponent, independent candidate Abdullah Abdullah made the decision to drop out of the presidential race, citing a corrupt system. Karzai will now be president for another five years. However, Karzai needs to incorporate Abdullah to strengthen the Afghan government and ameliorate U.S.-Afghan relations.
The election process has left much to be desired for the Afghan people, as corruption and fraud had many negative effects in the original election held Aug. 20. Voting irregularities and fraud in the first round of voting led to international outrage and prompted U.N. election monitors to throw out almost one in three votes for Karzai. Therefore, Karzai was forced into a runoff election with second-place opponent Abdullah. Karzai has won the election by default, but he will never be an effective leader without gaining the respect and trust of both the Afghani people and the international community. He faces opposition from both the U.N. and supporters of Abdullah. Karzai has even admitted that some of his supporters may have stuffed ballot boxes, stolen opponent boxes, and committed wide-scale election fraud in the less populated regions of Afghanistan. With this kind of blatant corruption, Karzai needs to take measures to regain his legitimacy in order to maintain the fragile balance between peace and war in Afghanistan.
Incorporating Abdullah into the new Afghan government would be a critical political move by Karzai, especially for improving U.S.-Afghan relations. Abdullah has garnered much support among the Afghani people, both from voters and non-voters, and he stands for a complete overhaul of the government, calling for voting transparency and a more representative, secular government. So how does this affect America? Why should we care about Afghanistan's government? In fact, our lengthy war in Afghanistan has been one of the most polarizing factors on the political scene. The American public is tired of seeing their citizens being sent off to die in a war that seemingly has no end. But in order for us to leave Afghanistan and successfully declare victory, America has to leave Afghanistan in a better condition than we found it. Basically, the White House wants to show success of the war through elimination of corruption in the Afghan system and the ability of the Afghan government to sustain itself without foreign aid. Abdullah is the key to this success. Many Afghans continue to reject the election results, much like the contested results in Iran. And if so many Afghans refuse to support their own government, there is no way the Karzai government will stand once America leaves. Therefore, appointing Abdullah and his supporters to Cabinet positions will give Karzai credibility and legitimacy. Furthermore, a stable Afghan government is the most important factor regarding whether or not Obama will send 80,000 more troops to Afghanistan, as recommended by Gen. Stanley McChrystal. If more troops are sent, President Barack Obama's public image, as well as the public support for the war, will decrease further. Ultimately, the creation of a stable and legitimate government, through the incorporation of Abdullah and his supporters, plays an important part in America finally ending this drawn-out war.
Another key factor in this process is the effect of the Taliban. The Taliban continues to terrorize the Afghan public on a regular basis; during these recent elections, Taliban members dressed as Afghan police officers attacked a guest house in Kabul, killing eight innocent people. Both Abdullah and Karzai have strong anti-Taliban stances, but the plague of the Taliban can never be eliminated without a strong legitimate government that has the support of the Afghan people. If Afghan people feel like they can't trust their government, they will be more susceptible to turn to the negative influences of the Taliban, and the Afghan government will continue to be weak
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