VOTE RIGGING OK

IT seems the United States has concluded that there is no point in forcing another election in Afghanistan because even if one were to be held it would be just as flawed as the one in August which apparently gave the incumbent President Karsai enough votes for another five years in office. A less cynical reason for settling for the status quo is that winter is descending on large parts of the country and a rerun of the election could probably not take place until next spring -- leaving a dangerous lacuna in the country's government for six months or so.

A bigger worry may be the silence from the White House over the President's response to the request from General McChrystal, the commander on the spot, for up to 40'000 more troops to ensure success in the new strategy that he has proposed; in a document leaked to the Washington Post last week the General said that without the reinforcements he has asked for the war in Afghanistan could be lost within one year. It is being said that President Obama has ordered a deliberate delay in responding to the General's request in order to consider both Afghanistan and Pakistan strategies. It is only six months since the approach favoured by General McChrystal was warmly endorsed by the White House and any significant reversal would raise questions about America's determination to pursue the Afghanistan mission to a successful conclusion.