For a country that is forever lecturing the rest of the world how they should have open government, the Americans have just concluded an agreement with the Afghanis - which is secret. Why? No one knows, although it isn't hard to guess when one appreciates that even if troops are to be withdrawn from the war-torn country, the US apparently expects to maintain at least 20,000 troops there post 2014.
“Today, Afghanistan and the U.S. initialed and locked the text of the strategic partnership agreement,” said President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi. “This means the text is closed….”
Why “lock” or “close” the future of Afghanistan to 30 million ordinary Afghan citizens?
While the world may accept that the U.S. and Afghan governments have some “state” or “noble” considerations for not revealing the contents of the U.S. Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement, what about the democratic consideration of involving Afghans in their own future?
Even the Afghan parliament was in the dark and uninvolved until it was recently given a peek when Afghanistan’s national security adviser, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, read “portions” of the Agreement to assembled parliamentarians on April 23, saying that the U.S. will defend Afghanistan from any outside interference via “diplomatic means, political means, economic means, and even military means.”
The U.S. has said it expects to keep about 20,000 troops in the country after 2014."
Continue reading here.
“Today, Afghanistan and the U.S. initialed and locked the text of the strategic partnership agreement,” said President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi. “This means the text is closed….”
Why “lock” or “close” the future of Afghanistan to 30 million ordinary Afghan citizens?
While the world may accept that the U.S. and Afghan governments have some “state” or “noble” considerations for not revealing the contents of the U.S. Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement, what about the democratic consideration of involving Afghans in their own future?
Even the Afghan parliament was in the dark and uninvolved until it was recently given a peek when Afghanistan’s national security adviser, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, read “portions” of the Agreement to assembled parliamentarians on April 23, saying that the U.S. will defend Afghanistan from any outside interference via “diplomatic means, political means, economic means, and even military means.”
The U.S. has said it expects to keep about 20,000 troops in the country after 2014."
Continue reading here.
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