money, power & corruption rule the day...

An article in the New York Times regarding America’s CIA underwriting of the Afghanistan regime happened to catch my eye the other day... and as I read the article, I began to realize we’ve gained no knowledge and little wisdom from our experiences of propping up dictatorial leaders.

According to the article, for over a decade the Central Intelligence Agency [aka the CIA] has been dropping off “wads” of cash to President Hamid Karzai’s bagmen every month for the past decade. Problem is... it’s taxpayer funded, and I wonder how many Americans realize just how much we’ve been fortifying Karzai, while at the same time, we’ve watched a decline in our paychecks and personal wealth.

This ‘news’ really shouldn't come as a surprise, as it’s no big secret [at least in government circles...]. The CIA payola has been referred to as ‘ghost money’ meaning... “It came in secret, and it left in secret.”

I had to chuckle as I read a comment by an American official who commented “The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan was the United States.” The enormous influx of cash allowed the CIA unlimited access to Karzai and his inner circle as well as a guarantee of influence in Afghanistan’s government... But there was a problem, and a catch... 

Karzai was [at least for a while] double-dipping, and literally betting on both sides as he was accepting money from the CIA, while at the same time, accepting cash from the Iranians. However, once the Iranians got wind of our monthly payments, they stopped providing him with unlimited funds... sadly for Karzi. 

But now the cat is out of the bag, and Karzai is attempting to backpedal while the CIA is staying mum... Karzai has suggested that this money provides him with the ability to target Al Qaeda and insurgent leaders, but it’s a debatable point as the former Soviet Union leadership attempted to “buy” influence and quell a growing civil war in Afghanistan, only to bankrupt their country in the end.

And when all is said and done, President Karzai is apparently “unable to be bought,” so this episode may end [again] very badly for Americans and American influence in the Middle East... and wouldn’t that be tragic?

In 2014 there will be an additional draw-down of American troops... as President Obama has said “Our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.” But this doesn’t necessarily mean American troops will leave the country of Afghanistan completely, but rather, that Afghans will take more responsibility... so, the same civil war we’ve managed to smother for a few years will again explode...

And, another interesting note, Karzai’s half brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai [also on the payroll of the CIA] was assassinated in July, 2011 leaving a power vacuum in the southern tier of Afghanistan. While Ahmed Karzai was considered by many to be “a divisive power broker... accused of corruption and [who] alienated the American military, but whose connections and ruthlessness made him a critical force...”

But the question of our involvement remains unanswered... when will this buying of despotic leaders be eliminated... or will this continue to be the CIA’s preferable way of doing business worldwide long into the future?

Wish I had the answers...