Når demokratiene går i krig, er det som oftest ugreit hvem man er nødt til å alliere seg med. I Andre verdenskrig, i Vietnam, under den sovjetisk okkupasjonen av Afghanistan, i krigen mellom Iran og Irak – og nå i Afghanistan.
Wikileaks følger president Hamid Karzais vei fra en
eager leader anointed by the West to an embattled politician who often baffles, disappoints or infuriates his official allies. (NYT, AFP, CNN).
Some members of Karzai’s cabinet and inner circle described him as a «weak man» who does not «listen to facts but was instead easily swayed by anyone who came to report even the most bizarre stories or plots against him» (Guardian, Reuters, AP).
FNs ambassadør i Kabul omtalte Karzai slik sist sommer:
Two contrasting portraits emerge. The first is of a paranoid and weak individual unfamiliar with the basics of nation building and overly self-conscious that his time in the spotlight of glowing reviews from the international community has passed. The other is that of an ever-shrewd politician who sees himself as a nationalist hero who can save the country from being divided» by political rivals, neighboring countries, and the U.S.
Det ville trolig vært litt greiere for oss hvis Karzai hadde lignet mer på Jonas Gahr Støre.