A just released report from the excellent International Crisis Group (ICC) looks at the disastrous Afghanistan Presidential election and concludes that the election “delivered a critical blow to the legitimacy of both the government and the international community”. The ICC says:

“Karzai’s retaining power under these circumstances has bolstered the impression that the international community is disinterested in or incapable of checking corruption. It handed the Taliban a huge public relations victory”.

It adds that “to stem the decline in public confidence, the international community, particularly the US and the UN, must urgently put in place and vigorously support a number of key measures, including:

• restrictions on the size of the cabinet, and more importantly barring nominees with demonstrated links to armed groups or criminal activities from joining government;
• the formation of an impartial commission of inquiry to conduct a thorough public review of the 20 August 2009 elections; the National Assembly’s use of its full sanctioning powers against those suspected of abusing their offices to influence the polls; and vigorous pursuit by the attorney general and courts of criminal prosecutions of those involved in flagrant violations of the law;
• consultations among relevant Afghan and international actors to achieve consensus on immediate steps to strengthen the machinery for the 2010 elections;
• convocation of a loya jirga to undertake constitutional reform, including consultations on the role of the Supreme Court; enhancing the independence of the judiciary and legislature; and meaningfully devolving authority and resources to provincial and district levels; and
• resignation of UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) chief and UN Special Representative of Secretary-General Kai Eide, since he has lost the faith of many on his staff and the necessary trust of many parts of the Afghan polity, accompanied by a thorough re-evaluation of the advisory role of UNAMA’s Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) program view to rebuild public support for Afghanistan’s electoral institutions and processes”.

These are absolutely essential matters for the west to respond to. Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and the US Secretary of State attended Karzai’s swearing in, in an apparent show of support for Karzai. That was disturbing because it seems to put the stamp of approval on Karzai’s election. Now President Obama is about to announce the US plan for Afghanistan going forward. It is critical that the matters raised by the Crisis Group be part of that plan.

Afghanistan is at a tipping point. A large scale expansion of military forces will not save it from disaster. Governance and development are the important things. If Karzai is permitted to continue his embrace of the criminal warlords and drug dealers, including appointing three of the most notorious warlords to his cabinet as he indicated he will do two months ago, there is no point in continuing the western presence there. If the failure to develop services, infrastructure, housing and jobs continues, the people there will see no point in maintaining the existing western supported regime. Canada has sacrificed the lives of well over a hundred smart, tough young soldiers who have served well beyond what should be expected of anyone, much less the young, with a great future ahead. It will be criminal if the ICC’s proposals are not accepted as a minimum part of the plan going forward. Stephen Harper needs to make that case with vigour, as he is entitled to do as a result of the incredible contribution of Canada over the past few years.