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Three days in Washington: How Hamid Karzai resuscitated his image

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was on the verge of becoming a pariah only weeks ago. But after his trip to Washington, he leaves as a crucial and trusted US ally once again.

There was no talk of joining the Taliban听飞丑别苍 Afghan President Hamid Karzai sat down Thursday afternoon for a 鈥減ublic conversation鈥� with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The threat Mr. Karzai issued recently in a pique of frustration over US pressure on him聽and his country seemed to be buried and gone. Instead, during three days in Washington, the Afghan leader basked in his new role as a crucial and trusted partner of the United States 鈥� firmly rehabilitated from the times when the Obama administration hinted that he was a corrupt and ineffective leader.

Over the course of his one-hour appearance with Secretary Clinton at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, Karzai鈥檚 suave performance suggested how that rehabilitation had been won. He spoke to an audience that included President Obama鈥檚 special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, as well as some members of Congress and Washington think-tankers. His topics played to his audience: Afghanistan鈥檚 importance to American security, an appreciation for the sacrifice of American blood and treasure, and the important and growing role women play in Afghanistan.

But he also suggested that a new sense of 鈥減artnership鈥�聽between the US and Afghanistan is emerging. Increasingly, the US is seeing the relationship less in terms of what it wants and thinks is best, and more as a joint project based on the needs and desires of the Afghan people, he said.

The 'right approach' to Kandahar offensive

For example, he said that international forces 鈥渟ince the last week鈥� had 鈥渁dopted the right approach鈥� to the southern city of Kandahar, where a military offensive has been anticipated聽for months. Instead of a military operation against the Afghan people, he said, international forces were now more focused on bringing 鈥渕ore resources and more economic activity鈥� to Kandahar.

Asked later by a reporter what he meant by 鈥渓ast week,鈥� Karzai said that as a result of 鈥渃onsultations we have had鈥� with military commanders, the coming Kandahar campaign has been modified so that 鈥渨e are not calling it an operation, we talk of a process.鈥�

Clinton concurred, saying the offensive would not be a 鈥渕assive assault鈥� but a 鈥渨eeding out鈥� of insurgent strongholds from in and around an 鈥渁ctive urban area.鈥�

鈥淭his is not Fallujah,鈥� she said, referring to the US military operation in 2004 to rout the Iraqi insurgency from the Sunni city west of Baghdad.

鈥淎 lot of lessons have been learned since Iraq,鈥� she added. The US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, would employ the new counterinsurgency approach 鈥渢o use different tools to root out鈥� the Taliban, she said.

Unlike the insurgency in Fallujah, the Taliban 鈥渁re not going to take over Kandahar,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut their presence has a chilling effect鈥� on everything from economic activity to girls鈥� willingness to attend school.

To which a satisfied Karzai responded, 鈥淵es!鈥�

Reintegrating the Taliban

Clinton also suggested during the conversation that the US is now resigned to beginning by the end of the month a national dialogue aimed at reintegrating some members of the Taliban 鈥� a key Karzai aim. The effort will focus on fighters and insurgent leaders up to mid-level.

Clinton backed Karzai鈥檚 goal of reintegrating thousands of what he called 鈥渃ountryside boys鈥� who had strayed to the Taliban not for ideological reasons but out of economic interest.

But she laid out a series of conditions that any Taliban leaders seeking a return to working inside Afghan society would have to meet, including renouncing violence, cutting any ties to Al Qaeda, and adhering to the laws and rights set forth in Afghanistan鈥檚 Constitution 鈥� including women鈥檚 rights.

Karzai expressed satisfaction that his Washington visit had helped fashion a new relationship based on mutual respect and built to outlive an eventual departure of foreign military forces.

What he foresees 鈥渋s the day when we won鈥檛 be asking the US Congress for salaries [for Afghan security forces] but for investment,鈥� he said, before adding with a smile, 鈥渁nd for F-16s.鈥�

Related:

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• Can Afghanistan President Karzai and Obama still work together?
• Afghanistan war: Battle for Kandahar as much political as military