Its time for Karzai to show his mettle

Even as Afghan President Hamid Karzai took his oath of office yesterday his colleagues in government would be nervously hoping that he would display signs of change in his second term in office.

The approach, on the face of it, is simple: Karzai has to ensure that the Afghan people, both at the national and sub-national level, are profiting from able governance. But to achieve this he will have to overcome insurmountable pressure from his core team of advisers, Western analysts and profiteers and the Taliban who have regrouped and launched a highly potent offensive against the Afghan government and its Western allies. Karzai's track record in the top job suggests that he is hardly the likely choice. But due to lack of options, following contender Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from the contest, he is the only alternative.

This situation largely mirrors the one in Afghanistan: the country is running out of viable options on multiple fronts.

Karzai will have to dip his hand into more than one portfolio to redeem his already fragile image (dented by allegations of corruption) of able statesman. The economy needs propping up, extreme corruption needs weeding out and security needs bolstering. These issues need to be tackled in monumental proportions. To the president's discredit he is also running out of friends and well-wishers among his allies, who had hitherto staunchly backed him.

Herein lies the dilemma. The West may not have wanted Karzai but now they will have to back him and make efforts to bolster his credibility. Support has to be sought at the macro level — amongst the civilians in the country's 364 districts. Sources of livelihood, a proper system of justice and the alignment of the local militias are important agendas. One hopes that through this scenario of utter hopelessness the real Hamid Karzai will show up.