Word: strongman
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Karzai also knows that the U.S. commitment in his country is finite, and the need to survive after the Americans leave makes him more inclined to rely on such established hard men as Uzbek warlord General Rashid Dostum and Tajik strongman General Mohammed Fahim - even if that means turning a blind eye to their transgressions. He is also keen to take charge of negotiating a political settlement with the Taliban on his own timetable, and with less of a role for Pakistan than Washington might be ready to concede to Islamabad. Just as U.S. influence in Iraq declined precipitously once...
...Afghan city. "Kandahar is as critical to this war as Baghdad was to Iraq," Mullen says. But the military's description of the upcoming battle is curious: there won't be one. There will be a shift in the local gestalt, bypassing or re-engaging or seducing the local strongman, Ahmed Wali Karzai (the President's half brother); the Afghans will cobble together their own political solution, somehow. There will be some operations against the Taliban, mostly to prevent them from entering the city; indeed, U.S. troops may not show themselves in downtown Kandahar. "We can shura...
Appointed Prime Minister of Iraq's first post-Saddam government in 2004, Allawi headed a corrupt, inept administration that set a poor tone for Iraq's fledgling democracy. As an American appointee, he lacked street cred. He projected himself as a democratic strongman - a contradiction in terms that convinced few of his countrymen. Although a Shi'ite, he alienated many among the majority sect by espousing a secular view of Iraq. Many Iraqis were suspicious of his ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, even though Allawi had left the party in 1975 and had survived an assassination attempt ordered...
...rival communities. That contest echoes a regional power struggle, with Iraq's predominantly Sunni neighbors such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria supporting a greater share of power for Iraq's Sunnis. Allawi's list of candidates includes some of the key Sunni political players, and the self-styled strongman makes no secret of his desire to challenge Iranian influence in Baghdad. Iran would prefer that Maliki stay in power, though Tehran is even closer to his Shi'ite rivals such as Sadr and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. (Watch a video about Iraq's vote...
...Doré was sworn in as Guinea's interim Prime Minister Jan. 26, a crucial step toward ending the country's military rule. A critic of the staunch regime, Doré has pledged "free, transparent and credible elections" within the year. An assassination attempt and subsequent exile forced Guinea's unpopular strongman, Moussa Dadis Camara, to allow a civilian interim leader. Some fear he continues to meddle from his base in Burkina Faso...