Stardate 20011205.1359 (On Screen): By far the most remarkable aspect of the newly agreed-to Afghan government (besides the fact that it exists) is that
a Pashtun was chosen to lead it. That above all gives me hope that it will be effective, because it shows that the members of the Northern Alliance were sincere in wanting it to be effective. By all accounts the man chosen for the top job was the best possible choice, but there was always the possibility that the Pashtun would get dealt out of the game, leaving them resentful and ripe for rebellion. In fact, despite the attempts of the press to portray these talks as bogging down and showing every sign of failing, the fact that they were able to come up with this settlement in just one week truly shows that they all always did want a result. They showed up there not to make an impression but to really deal.
Though war is reputed to be the national sport of Afghanistan, I think that 30 years of it have exhausted the nation and no-one there wants it anymore. Even ambitious tribal leaders can see the effect this has had on their own people, and they also can see the huge aid package that the Western nations offered if and only if a stable government was formed. So I think they really are genuine about this. They're out of the habit of being unified, to be sure, and there are going to be disputes and hurt feelings and personal ambitions getting in the way of cooperation. There will be crises. But I think that it's going to work because the Afghans themselves want it to work, and believe that it can.
And the people who hold the most important positions in the government have them because they proved themselves in this war. The use of "proxy troops" in this war by the US is now paying dividends in winning the peace, and the willingness of the Northern Alliance to accept Karzai is to a great extent due to the fact that he raised and led the southern Pashtun against the Taliban. If it had been predominately western (read "American") troops who had fought and won this war, there would not be the same potential now for a stable government afterwards. Because the government is formed from those who liberated Afghanistan, it has credibility and a real chance to succeed. (discuss)
