Alissa J. Rubin




Corrupt-istan Update: Karzai’s Brazen Defiance

When someone like Karzai persistently directs lies and insults against you, while you are funding the very security that enables him to stay in power, you must either stand up and burst the bonds of a dependent and abusive relationship, or suffer the consequencdes of being a wimp.

In this case, the consequnces of being a wimp are likely to be the continued loss of American and Allied lives and treasure, to no avail, and eventually the collapse of the Afghan government.


Fighting corruption and other challenges in Dexter Filkins’ Corrupt-istan

To the Observer, the idea of trying to make Karzai a more central player in efforts to root out corruption in his own government sounds like giving Al Capone a more central role in cleaning up Chicago.