AFGHANISTAN: KARZAI ADMINISTRATION NEEDS TO REMEMBER THAT ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL

Record drug harvests, a weak government, a flagging economy and mounting civilian deaths are stoking support for Islamic militants in Afghanistan. To reverse the current trend, President Hamid Karzai’s administration, along with its foreign supporters, must do a better job in delivering basic social services on the grassroots level, experts and politicians say. --- Beyond the violence related to the insurgency, Afghanistan’s weak economy presents another challenge for Karzai. Unemployment officially hovers around 40 percent, and most Afghans live in appalling conditions, with no electricity, running water or sewage. Power in the capital runs just a few hours a day. --- "In fact, it’s getting worse. There is a lack of jobs, a lack of employment. Overall, nothing much has been done. The money that has come in has not been productive in relation to industrialization. In fact, we are losing what we had."