Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

"We have reached a critical stage," says Afghanistan's former presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.

This evening at the Asia Society in New York, Dr. Abdullah, Afghanistan's 2009 presidential candidate addressed a packed room eager to know the next steps needed to mitigate the desperate crisis in the war ridden country. Dr. Abdullah once served as the foreign minister of Afghanistan.

President Obama's time clock in Afghanistan is another eighteen months. US General McKrystal has labeled parts of the country "a bleeding ulcer."

"Nine years after US intervention, Afghanistan is in a state of existentialist crisis," said Jamie Metzl, head of the Asia Society in New York.

"Dr. Abdullah has repeatedly said the things that need to be said and fought the battles that need to be fought in the name of good governance and building a name for Afghanistan," added Metzl.

Joe Klein, the political editor of TIME magazine moderated the panel:

"Abdullah is seen as a man of honor, especially after the elections this past year."

Klein asked Abdullah why Karzai does not seem to recognize the urgency of his country's problems.

"In the course of time I learned that he (Karzai) did not believe in democracy," said Abdullah. "People don't have a say and are not participants. His (Karzai) is the idea of controlling the country... The situation in Afghanistan is at best a mixed picture. The people of the country have gone through many sufferings in the past three decades."

Abdullah said at 50 years old, he has spent half his life hoping for the survival of his people. He said Afghanistan is burdened with both domestic and international troubles including "the mess that is there in regards to the attitude of the government, its failures and shortcomings to deliver to the Afghan people."

But he is not without hope for Afghanistan. Despite the alleged fraud that took place during the recent 2009 elections (the current President, Hamid Karzai won under suspicious circumstances), Abdullah cited access to education, freedom of the media, fair electoral processes and a new parliament as essential recent gains in the country.

"If we do not get it right now the changes we have made in education and freedoms could be reversed."

He added that the United States is spending more money than any other nation in Afghanistan and has more at stake with the most troops fighting in the country.
Abdullah underscored that the Taliban still benefits from the drug economy in Afghanistan. He also said the tribal groups are not being taken care of and suffer from a lack government services, and therefore cannot trust Karzai.

Many critics inside the country also believe Karzai is not doing enough and has not been able to restore the rights of the people. And although Karzai was presented with a major opportunity when he first came to power, now, Adbullah noted, the people are saying "we prefer the Taliban over your (Karzai's) corrupt system."

Dr. Abdullah underlined that with the draw down date of US troops leaving the region, there needs to be a new direction for Afghanistan towards a swift process of reconciliation.