No more apologies

The legitimacy of Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai has been permanently undermined by the election fraud and the withdrawal of his rival Abdullah Abdullah, writes the daily Der Standard, adding that the West must take swift action and make sure Karzai can no longer evade his responsibilities: "Hamid Karzai, who was able to deceive the government of US president George W. Bush, should no longer be allowed to escape the limelight. Bush's successor Barack Obama must crank up the pressure on the Pashtuns; if necessary explain Kabul's failings to the Afghan public; threaten to turn off the money tap; place trustworthy persons in Karzai's cabinet; and in general widen the political basis and push for a government of national unity that includes Abdullah Abdullah. … Karzai's election fraud demands more and not less engagement in Afghanistan."

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » U.S., » Afghanistan
All available articles from » Markus Bernath

» To the complete press review of Monday, November 2, 2009