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Hamid Karzai

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Hamid Karzai
حامد کرزي
President of Afghanistan
Assumed office
22 December 2001
Vice PresidentAhmad Zia Massoud
Karim Khalili
Preceded byBurhanuddin Rabbani
Personal details
Born (1957-12-24) 24 December 1957 (age 66)
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Political partyIndependent
SpouseZeenat Karzai

Hamid Karzai (Pashto: حامد کرزي) GCMG, (b. 24 December 1957) is the current President of Afghanistan, since 07 December 2004. He became a prominent political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001. From December 2001, Hamid Karzai had been the Chairman of the Transitional Administration followed by the Interim President from 2002 until he won the 2004 Presidential election of Afghanistan.

Early years and personal life

Hamid Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun of the Popalzai clan of the Durrani tribe, was born in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He comes from a family that were strong supporters of the former king, Zahir Shah. He has six brothers and one sister. Karzai is well-versed in several languages, including Pashto, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, English and French.

From 1979 to 1983, Karzai took a postgraduate course in political science at Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. He then returned to work as a fund-raiser by supporting anti-Soviet Mujahideen in Afghanistan during the Soviet intervention for the rest of the 1980s. After the fall of Najibullah's Soviet-backed government in 1992, he served as Deputy Foreign Minister in the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani.

In 1999, Hamid Karzai married Zeenat Karzai, an obstetrician by profession who was working as a doctor with Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. They have a son named Mirwais, who was born on January 25th, 2007.[1]

Karzai's trademark hat is a Karakul hat.

Involvement in the Soviet war in Afghanistan

Karzai was a member of the Mujahideen and took active part in driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion in the 1980s. The Mujahideen were secretly supplied and funded by the United States, and Karzai was a top contact for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) at the time. He had close personal contact with CIA Director William Casey and George H. W. Bush, who was Vice President of the United States.[citation needed] Karzai and his brothers later immigrated to the U.S. under CIA protection, where Karzai continued to work with the US government and to prepare for further developments in Afghanistan.[citation needed]

Taliban supporter

File:Hamid Karzai 150.jpg
Hamid Karzai in 2003, with a longer beard and his traditional turban.

When the Taliban emerged in the 1990s, Karzai was at first one of their supporters but later he broke with them and refused to serve as their U.N. ambassador. However on August 20, 1998, after an attempt by the United States to kill Osama bin Laden with a cruise missile, Karzai praised the Taliban saying,"...there were many wonderful people in the Taliban.[2]" He lived in exile in Quetta, in Pakistan where he worked to reinstate the Afghan king, Zahir Shah. His father was assassinated, presumably by Taliban agents, on July 14 1999, and Karzai swore revenge against the Taliban by working to help overthrow them.[citation needed] In 2001, Hamid Karzai worked closely with the Ahmad Shah Massoud to help gather support for the anti-Taliban movement. On February 11, 2005, in an interview with the Oxford International Review, Karzai criticizes the role the U.S. played in empowering the Taliban to take control in Afghanistan. He claims he spent many years before the 9/11 attacks warning embassies about the threat, but the West failed to respond, an act of “neglect, selfishness and short-sightedness." While he highlights the key role the United States and other donors have played in rebuilding and developing Afghanistan, his tone is not without bitterness.

It’s just that we could have done all this before September 11th. We could have had these improvements here and the Twin Towers...We could have stopped terrorism before it reached you.

— Hamid Karzai

Chairman to Interim President

In the months following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Mujahideen loyal to the Northern Alliance worked with the United States to overthrow the Taliban in Afghanistan and muster support for a new government. In December 2001, Hamid Karzai and his group survived an American "friendly fire" missile attack in southern Afghanistan. The group received injuries and were treated in the United States, Karzai received injuries to his facial nerves. Later in the month political leaders gathered in Bonn, Germany, to agree on new leadership structures. Under the December 5 Bonn Agreement they formed an interim Transitional Administration and named Karzai Chairman of a 29-member governing committee. He was sworn-in as leader on December 22. The Loya Jirga of June 19 2002 appointed Karzai Interim holder of the new position as President of the Afghan Transitional Administration.

Hamid Karzai as Interim President in June 2004 being applauded by politicians at the United States Congress in Washington, D.C.

After being installed into power Karzai's actual authority outside the capital city of Kabul was said to be so limited that he was often derided as the "Mayor of Kabul". Former members of the Northern Alliance remained extremely influential, most notably Vice President Mohammed Fahim, who also served as Defense Minister.

In 2004 he rejected a US proposal to end poppy production in Afghanistan through aerial spraying of chemical herbicides, fearing that it will harm the economic situation of his country men. Moreover, Karzai's younger brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, who partially helped finance Karzai's presidential campaign, is rumored to be involved in the drug trade[3] (although Karzai's family were quite wealthy already from owning well established restaurants in the United States.[4][5][6]) The situation was particularly delicate since Karzai and his administration have not been equipped either financially or politically to influence reforms outside of the region around the capital city of Kabul. Other areas, particularly the more remote ones, are currently and have historically been under the influence of various local leaders. Karzai has been, to varying degrees of success, attempting to negotiate and form amicable alliances with them for the benefit of Afghanistan as a whole, instead of aggressively fighting them and risking an uprising.

Assassination attempts

Karzai in early 2003, wearing his traditional clothes and a karakul hat.
  • September 5, 2002, an assassination attempt was made on Hamid Karzai in Kandahar City. A gunman wearing the uniform of the new Afghan National Army opened fire, wounding Gul Agha Sherzai (former governor of Kandahar) and an American Special Operations officer. The gunman, one of the President's bodyguards, and a bystander who knocked down the gunman were killed when Karzai's American bodyguards returned fire. Recently, Some pictures of the U.S. Navy's DEVGRU responding to the attempt have surfaced.34 Apparently one of their members were wounded. 35
  • September 16, 2004, an attempted assassination on Karzai took place when a rocket missed the helicopter he was flying in while en route to Gardez.
  • June 10, 2007, the Taliban attempted to assassinate Karzai in Ghazni where Karzai was giving a speech to elders. The Taliban fired approximately 12 rockets, some of which landed 220 yards (200 m) away from the crowd. Karzai was not hurt in the incident and was transported away from the location after finishing his speech.[7][8][9]

2004 presidential election

Karzai was a candidate in the October 9, 2004 presidential election. He won 21 of the 34 provinces, defeating his 22 opponents and became the first democratically elected leader of Afghanistan.

Inauguration of Hamid Karzai on December 7, 2004, after winning the presidential election.

As incumbent president Karzai held high name recognition among voters, and was admired by his supporters for his steady leadership during an uncertain post-war period. Other contributing factors to his win may have included his endorsement by US President George W. Bush's administration, the use of US Army transport during his election campaign, the brief one-month campaign season as well as the paucity of news coverage in the country about his opponents. Although his campaigning was limited due to fears of violence, elections passed without significant incident. Following investigation by the UN of alleged voting irregularities, the national election commission on November 3 declared Karzai winner, without runoff, with 55.4% of the vote. This represented 4.3 million of the total 8.1 million votes cast. The election took place safely in spite of a surge of insurgent activity. An excellent first-hand account of the violence and counter-terrorism efforts appears in A Democracy Is Born.[10]

Karzai was officially sworn in as President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on December 7, 2004 at a formal ceremony in Kabul. Many interpreted the ceremony as a symbolically important "new start" for the war-torn nation. Notable guests at the inauguration included the country's former King, Zahir Shah, three living former US presidents, and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.

President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

After winning a democratic mandate in the 2004 election and removing many of the former Northern Alliance warlords from his cabinet, it was thought that Karzai would pursue a more aggressively reformist path in 2005. However, Karzai has proved to be more cautious than was expected.

Ever since Karzai's new administration took over in 2004, the economy of Afghanistan has been growing rapidly for the first time in many years. Government revenue is increasing every year, although it is still heavily dependent on foreign aid.

March 1, 2006, President George W. Bush and Hamid Karzai appear together in Kabul, Afghanistan.

On September 20, 2006 Karzai told the United Nations General Assembly that Afghanistan has become the "worst victim" of terrorism.[11] Karzai said terrorism is "rebounding" in his country, with militants infiltrating the borders to wage attacks on civilians. He stated, "This does not have its seeds alone in Afghanistan. Military action in the country will, therefore, not deliver the shared goal of eliminating terrorism." He demanded assistance from the international community to destroy terrorist sanctuaries inside and outside Afghanistan. "You have to look beyond Afghanistan to the sources of terrorism," he told the UN General Assembly, and "destroy terrorist sanctuaries beyond" the country, dismantle the elaborate networks in the region that recruit, indoctrinate, train, finance, arm, and deploy terrorists. These activities are also robbing thousands of Afghan children of their right to education, and prevent health workers from doing their jobs in Afghanistan. In addition he promised to eliminate opium-poppy cultivation in the country, which helps fuel the ongoing insurgency. He has repeatedly demanded that NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces take more care when conducting military operations in residential areas to avoid civilian casualties, which undermine his government's already weak standing in parts of the country.[12]

In a video broadcast on September 24, 2006, Karzai stated that if the money wasted on the Iraq War was actually spent on rebuilding Afghanistan, his country would "be in heaven in less than one year".[13] In May of 2007, after as many as 51 Afghan civilians were killed in a bombing, Karzai asserted that his government "can no longer accept" casualties caused by the US and NATO operations.[14]

Relations with USA, Iran and Pakistan

In a January 2008 interview, Karzai expressed his feelings towards America by stating: "if I am called a puppet because we are grateful to America, then let that be my nickname."[15]

Although the Bush administration in USA often charge that Iran has been meddling in Afghanistan's affairs, Karzai stated that Iran is a "very close friend" of Afghanistan despite accusations of Iranian-made arms being found in Afghanistan.[16]

President Hamid Karzai's visit to the United States in August 2007, where he was met by George and Laura Bush at Camp David in Maryland.

In August of 2007 Karzai contradicted US assessments on Iran's role in Afghanistan by saying that Iran has been "a helper and a solution."[17][18] Karzai added that "Iran has been a supporter of Afghanistan, in the peace process that we have and the fight against terror, and the fight against narcotics in Afghanistan..."[19] Also in the same month, on August 5, 2007, Karzai was invited to Camp David in Maryland, USA, for a special meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush.

In October of 2007, Karzai rejected Western accusations against Iran, stating, "We have resisted the negative propaganda launched by foreign states against the Islamic Republic and we stress that aliens' propaganda should not leave a negative impact on the consolidated ties between the two great nations of Iran and Afghanistan."[20] Karzai added, "The two Iranian and Afghan nations are close to each other due to their bonds and commonalities, they belong to the same house and they will live alongside each other for good."[20][21]

In late December of 2007 Karzai and his delegates went to meet President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad, Pakistan, for new trade ties and intelligence sharing between the two countries.[22] Karzai also met and had a 45-minute talk with Benazir Bhutto on the morning of December 27, hours before her trip to Liaquat National Bagh where she was assassinated after her speech.[23]

Talks with the Taliban

In April of 2007, Karzai acknowledged that he spoke to the Taliban about trying to bring peace in Afghanistan.[24] He noted that the Afghan Taliban are "always welcome" in Afghanistan, although foreign militants are not.

In September of 2007, Karzai again offered talks with the Taliban after a security scare forced him to end a commemoration speech.[25]Karzai left the event and was taken back to his palace, where he was due to meet visiting Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. After the meeting the pair held a joint news conference, at which Karzai called for talks with his Taliban foes. He made no reference to the security scare. "We don't have any formal negotiations with the Taliban. They don't have an address. Who do we talk to?" Karzai told reporters. He further stated: "If I can have a place where to send somebody to talk to, an authority that publicly says it is the Taliban authority, I will do it."[25]

Afghan Taliban are always welcome, they belong to this country ... they are the sons of this soil.

— Hamid Karzai, April 6, 2007, [26]

Criticism

Hamid Karzai has received criticism[citation needed] for his associations with the Taliban[2] and for negotiating with them[citation needed]. He is also criticized[citation needed] for calling for negotiations with former Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar[2].

Unocal connection

Karzai has been the talk of many conspiracy theories over his supposed consultant work for the infamous Union Oil Company of California aka Unocal a now defunct oil company.[27][28] Spokesmen for both Unocal and Karzai have denied any such relationship, although Unocal could not speak for all companies involved in the consortium. The original claim that Karzai worked for Unocal seems to originate from a December 6, 2001 issue of the French newspaper Le Monde.[29]

Honorary degrees and awards

See also

References

  1. ^ BBC News (January 26, 2007), Hamid Karzai becomes father at 49
  2. ^ a b c Marlowe, Ann (February 11, 2008). "Two Myths About Afghanistan". United States: The Washington Post. p. A13. Retrieved 2008-02-11. On Aug. 20, 1998, the day the United States sent cruise missiles to kill Osama bin Laden, Karzai told The Post that "there were many wonderful people in the Taliban.

    ...So he spent much of the fall offering to negotiate with Taliban chief Mohammad Omar and the vicious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
  3. ^ Marc W. Herold (MARCH 7, 2006). "Pseudo-development in Karzai's Afghanistan" (HTML). cursor. Retrieved 2007-12-11. but the real power in Kandahar is Wali Ahmad Karzai, the president's drug-trafficking younger brother. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Helmand - Baltimore, Maryland
  5. ^ Helmand - San Francisco, California
  6. ^ Helmand - Cambridge, Massachusetts
  7. ^ "UN 'outraged' after assassination attempt on Karzai" (HTML). The Associated Press. June 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  8. ^ Tim Albone in Kabul (June 11, 2007). "Taleban fail in rocket attempt on Karzai's life" (HTML). timesonline. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  9. ^ "Karzai unhurt in Taleban attack", BBC News, June 10, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2007
  10. ^ Matthew J. Morgan (9/30/2007). A Democracy Is Born: An Insider's Account of the Battle Against Terrorism in Afghanistan. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0275999998. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  11. ^ RFE/RL, Karzai Says Afghanistan 'Worst Victim' Of Terrorism
  12. ^ "Civilians reported killed by airstrikes as NATO hunts Taliban" October 19, 2006 accessed 19 October 2006.
  13. ^ msnbc (updated 7:31 p.m. ET Sept. 24, 2006). "Karzai says U.S. underfunding Afghanistan" (HTML). pub. Retrieved 2007-12-11. Iraq war money could have stabilized nation against Taliban surge, he says {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Washington Post Foreign Service, Karzai Says Civilian Toll Is No Longer Acceptable
  15. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/01/25/karzai.interview/?iref=mpstoryview
  16. ^ Karzai: Iran a 'very close friend', Chicago Tribune
  17. ^ Gates: Troop draw downs "possible" this year, Washington Post
  18. ^ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22195371-23109,00.html]
  19. ^ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22195371-23109,00.html
  20. ^ a b "Karzai Underlines Strong Bonds between Iran, Afghanistan" (HTML). pub. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  21. ^ "Karzai: Anti-Iran propaganda cannot have impact on Tehran-Kabul friendly ties Tehran" (HTML). IRNA. Oct 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-11. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 78 (help)
  22. ^ Pajhowk Afghan News, Islamabad, Kabul agree on intelligence cooperation, December 27, 2007.
  23. ^ Pajhwok Afghan News, Bhutto, Karzai meeting proved the first & last one, December 28, 2007.
  24. ^ The Washington Times (world), Karzai admits meeting Taliban in peace talks
  25. ^ a b "Afghanistan's Karzai urges Taliban talks after scare" (HTML). reuters. Sun Sep 9, 2007 5:51pm IST. Retrieved 2007-12-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Karzai acknowledges meetings with Taliban". msnbc.com. April 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-02. Afghan Taliban are always welcome, they belong to this country ... they are the sons of this soil.
  27. ^ Ilene R. Prusher, Scott Baldauf, and Edward Girardet (June 10, 2002 edition). "Afghan power brokers" (HTML). pub. Retrieved 2007-12-11. Cool and worldly, Karzai is a former employee of US oil company Unocal – one of two main oil companies that was bidding for the lucrative contract to build an oil pipeline from Uzbekistan through Afghanistan to seaports in Pakistan – and the son of a former Afghan parliament speaker. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Tom Turnipseed (January 10, 2002). "A Creeping Collapse in Credibility at the White House:" (HTML). counterpunch. Retrieved 2007-12-11. As reported in Le Monde, the new Afghan government's head, Hamid Karzai, formerly served as a UNOCAL consultant. Only nine days after Karzai's ascension, President Bush nominated another UNOCAL consultant and former Taliban defender, Zalmay Khalilzad, as his special envoy to Afghanistan.
  29. ^ "Hamid Karzai" (HTML). globalsecurity. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-11. The claim appears to have originated in the December 9, 2001 issue of the French newspaper Le Monde. Some have suggested that Karzai was confused with U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
  30. ^ BBC News, Queen gives Karzai knighthood, June 6, 2003.
  31. ^ http://www.constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal/recipient_2004.html
  32. ^ "AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI CHALLENGES BOSTON UNIVERSITY GRADUATES TO BE GUIDED BY HUMANITY" (HTML). Boston University. May 22, 2005. Retrieved 2007-12-11.

Further reading

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Hamid Karzai
Preceded by Head of the Transitional State of Afghanistan
December 2001 – December 2004
President of Afghanistan
December 2004 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

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