US Afghan "Viceroy" vows hands-on role in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL317019.htm

KABUL, June 16 (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, dubbed by some as the American "Viceroy" to Afghanistan, was unapologetic about his style on Thursday and vowed a similar hands-on role if confirmed as envoy to Iraq.

"My premise is that failure is not an option -- there is too much at stake," Khalilzad told a farewell news conference in Kabul. "I am not a potted plant!"

The Afghan-American is accused by critics of interfering in Afghanistan's affairs, to the extent that he often appeared to be directing President Hamid Karzai's policy rather than simply supporting it.

"I have a philosophy in terms of how I do my job," he said, when asked about such criticism. "I will be the same person in the two different environments."

[LynnTheDem]

1. Yes, such a success he was in Afghanistan...

Secret UK troops plan for Afghan crisis

DEFENCE chiefs are planning to rush thousands of British troops to Afghanistan in a bid to stop the country sliding towards civil war, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

Ministers have been warned they face a "complete strategic failure" of the effort to rebuild Afghanistan and that 5,500 extra troops will be needed within months if the situation continues to deteriorate.

An explosive cocktail of feuding tribal warlords, insurgents, the remnants of the Taliban, and under-performing Afghan institutions has left the fledgling democracy on the verge of disintegration, according to analysts and senior officers.

The looming crisis in Afghanistan is a serious setback for the US-led 'War on Terror' and its bid to promote western democratic values around the world.

Defence analysts say UK forces are already so over-stretched that any operation to restore order in Afghanistan can only succeed if substantial numbers of troops are redeployed from Iraq, itself in the grip of insurgency.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=559872005