Afghan Poppycock: Hamid Karzai's halfhearted jihad

{
  "authors": [
    "David Bosco"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Afghanistan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Afghan Poppycock: Hamid Karzai's halfhearted jihad

By Mr. David Bosco

Published on May 18, 2005

Source: Slate magazine

There's all sorts of good news coming out of the Afghan drug war. Hamid Karzai recently announced that opium cultivation might be down as much as 30 percent this year. In April, the United States nabbed alleged Afghan drug lord Haji Bashir Noorzai. U.S. and European money are helping Karzai's government build special drug courts and train paramilitary interdiction teams. One might almost be convinced that Afghanistan—site of an ongoing political renaissance—has pulled off another miracle. Don't believe it. MORE

About the Author

Mr. David Bosco

Former Senior Editor, Foreign Policy

David Bosco joined FP in 2004 as a senior editor responsible for commissioning and editing reviews, feature articles, and essays. Prior to joining FP, he was an attorney at the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton with a focus on international arbitration, litigation, and antitrust matters. Previously, he researched judicial reform in Chile as a Fulbright Scholar.

Recent Work

In The Media
Who Will Challenge Iran?
- Mr. David Bosco

Political Reform Democracy Economy Afghanistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
Germany’s Shattered Consensus
An overwhelming victory by a far-right-wing party in a small state in eastern Germany will have major repercussions for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition.
Judy Dempsey
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Why MAGA’s Far-Right European Ties Will Endure
In supporting Europe’s far-right, MAGA and Russia both want the same thing: a weaker EU. Europe must defend itself without abandoning the openness these forces exploit.
Armida van Rij
Paper
Assessing Information Ecosystems: How Governments Can Get Ahead of Hybrid Threats
The hybrid warfare landscape is evolving rapidly, leaving policymakers without clear strategies. To better inform their work in addressing emerging challenges, governments must dig deeper into the underlying dynamics at play.
Raluca Csernatoni, Alicia Wanless
Report
Europe from Scratch: Visions for a New European Order
As the EU confronts profound challenges, several leaders have called for fundamental reform to the union’s model—but only modest, superficial changes have resulted. What if Europe really could be reimagined from zero today: What should such a redesigned European order look like?
Richard Youngs, ed.
Commentary
Strategic Europe
The Le Pen Verdict: How French Politics Turned MAGA
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen can—and will—run in France’s next presidential election. What does the outcome of her appeal against a 2025 embezzlement conviction mean for the country’s political future?
Catherine Fieschi

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Germany’s Shattered Consensus

An overwhelming victory by a far-right-wing party in a small state in eastern Germany will have major repercussions for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition.

Judy Dempsey

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Why MAGA’s Far-Right European Ties Will Endure

In supporting Europe’s far-right, MAGA and Russia both want the same thing: a weaker EU. Europe must defend itself without abandoning the openness these forces exploit.

Armida van Rij

Paper

Assessing Information Ecosystems: How Governments Can Get Ahead of Hybrid Threats

The hybrid warfare landscape is evolving rapidly, leaving policymakers without clear strategies. To better inform their work in addressing emerging challenges, governments must dig deeper into the underlying dynamics at play.

Raluca Csernatoni, Alicia Wanless

Report

Europe from Scratch: Visions for a New European Order

As the EU confronts profound challenges, several leaders have called for fundamental reform to the union’s model—but only modest, superficial changes have resulted. What if Europe really could be reimagined from zero today: What should such a redesigned European order look like?

Richard Youngs, ed.

Commentary

Strategic Europe

The Le Pen Verdict: How French Politics Turned MAGA

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen can—and will—run in France’s next presidential election. What does the outcome of her appeal against a 2025 embezzlement conviction mean for the country’s political future?

Catherine Fieschi