AFGHANISTAN: The Islamic Republic and the Islamic state

Roozbeh Farahanipour sends this: The Marze Por Gohar Party is deeply disappointed by a recent event in Afghanistan, whereby 29 year-old woman was stoned to death for committing adultery. One has to wonder what the difference is between the Taliban regime and that of Hamid Karzai's rule on whose watch the barbaric stoning was executed?  The people of Afghanistan had to endure atrocities during the rein of Taliban regime and many hardships during the time that the American government dismantled the Taliban regime. Certainly the United States' goal to remove the Taliban regime from power was achieved. The American government with the help of the Northern Alliance was able to swiftly neutralize the Taliban and people's reaction to the fall of their oppressors was very positive.

Unfortunately however, when it came to implementing democracy in Afghanistan, some diplomats of the State Department wanted the continuance of an Islamic state, rather than establishing a secular government, and thus Afghanistan remained practically an Islamic state. These diplomats who wanted Afghanistan to be an Islamic state were some of the first to recognize the Taliban regime as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The experience in the establishment of an Islamic state in Afghanistan has provided ample evidence that the State Department is not yet prepared to genuinely promote democracy in the region. Statements by various officials of the State Department have shown that State is actively perusing normalization of ties between the Islamic Republic and the United States. It appears all but certain now that the "reform" movement is virtually dead. The State Department has begun supporting elements of the Islamic Republic as opposition figures, such as the grandson of Khomeini, the founder of the revolutionary guards Sazegara, and other various clerics that are now
teaching at American universities.

RH: Hamid Karsai has just addressed the European parliament. He asked European countries to keep their troops in Afghanistan.  About a third of them are German. Probably the EU has more clout in Afghanistan than the US.