Well I could go into my rendition of the 1st Star Wars movie….but that has been done to death by now……the New Hope of which I speak is Afghanistan.
yes, the Afghan people have gone to the polls this past weekend and voted in greater numbers than ever before……7+ million.
First, I would like to correct my prediction….I predicted that the buddy of Karzai would win the election, Rassoul…..I felt that there would be a massive amount of voter fraud and that Karzi would not want to lose his influence in the running of the country……..appears I was mistaken (gladly)……
Afghans flocked to polling stations nationwide today, defying a threat of violence by the Taliban to cast ballots in what promises to be the nation’s first democratic transfer of power. The turnout was so high that some polling centers ran out of ballots and others took the unprecedented step of extending hours, reports the New York Times. The day has been “surprisingly peaceful,” says Reuters, with only a handful of isolated attacks reported. The excitement over choosing a new leader for the first time appeared to overwhelm the fear of bloodshed in many areas, as Afghans embarked on a major transition nearly 13 years after the US-led invasion toppled the rule of the Taliban.
The vote is the first for Afghans in which the outcome is uncertain. Voters are choosing from a field of eight presidential candidates, as well as selecting provincial council members. With three front-runners in the presidential race—former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmay Rassoul, and former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani—a runoff seemed likely instead of an outright victory victory by one. President Hamid Karzai, the only leader the country has known since the Taliban fell, is constitutionally barred from a third term.
The votes are not all in but as it is today there will be a run-off between Abdullah Abdullah and Ghani……Karzai’s mole Rassoul finished a distant third…….at least as far as we know now.
I am proud of the Afghan people….they showed up in massive numbers even with the threats from the Taleban…….they deserve some respect for taking their voting seriously……they have mine.
Unfortunately, I am not positive that any of these candidates will have the support or the guts to take on the Taleban when the time comes…….while the people voted and have voted in massive numbers…..they will not be in control when the Taleban comes to town……
All we can do is take a wait and see attitude…….
One of the most eloquent examples of failed attempts at self-righteous nation-building. Confident that Taliban’s anachronistic desire to bring Afghanistan back to the Middle Ages of religious fanaticism and extremism will not succeed. Afghans have shown that there’s room for democracy in the Middle East.
I hope you are correct……I see some promise with the vote….that is once all are counted and confirmed….I still look for a surprise or two…..
Alexander must be giggling in his grave. 2,400 years and no one else has ever conquered that land.
Is he in the Guinness Book?
Maybe a forerunner?
Cicero’s Big Book Of Coolness?
Oh, nicely played!
Thanx…I have my moments….LOL
The Taliban will always be there lurking in the background and putting out their propaganda and doing their activism. They have their Taliban and we have our radical right wing. These kinds of influences are always working to undermine and to disrupt, to confuse and to destroy.
If the US stays true to form we will turn our back on Afghanistan once we depart and the Taleban will find a way to regain their control…..we did in 1990 and look what that bore…..
That is how we tend to roll – – remember Hungary?
Hungary in 1950’s was an abomination….