The Whistleblower’s Afghan War Dairy embraced, surprised and shocked many leaders across the world but Hamid Karzai was not impressed.
“Most of this is not new…of this is what has been discussed in the past,” a Karzai spokesman told reporters in Kabul on 26 July.
He lied bluntly. His boss – Mr. Karzai – was surprised by the news.
However, Karzai – who was once crying loud to US/NATO to tackle the ‘sanctuaries, training facilities and ideologues of terrorism’ in Pakistan - preferred not to capitalize on the opportunity.
Karzai thinks the high-profile intelligence leak is a Washington-sponsored plot designed to damage his rapprochements with Islamabad.
What Gen. MacChrystal described Ambassador Holbrook in his blunders to a Rolling Stone reporter – “a wounded animal” – can be rightly referred to Mr. Karzai.
Since August 2009, Karzai lost his unwavering confidence in the US and NATO.
Karzai has said he gave almost everyone the opportunity to defeat the Taliban over the past eight years. He now believes US/NATO cannot and will not defeat the Taliban. He also feels he lost the blame game on terrorism and extremism to Islamabad as US/NATO refused his numerous pleas to tame and civilianize the ISI and end its bloody game in Afghanistan.
Disappointed in his Western patrons and increasingly fearful of his government’s survival, Karzai overhauled his politics and said hello to Islamabad and its Talib protégées.
As he tries to forge a ‘new’ strategic partnership with Islamabad and the Pakistani military, the Wikileaks revelations appear to him a conspiratorial move to derail his plans.
