Former Deputy UN envoy to Afghanistan, Peter Galbraith, spoke out this morning against Afghan President Hamid Karzai on MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown." Galbraith described the volatile state of the Karzai administration, calling Karzai 'off balance' and 'emotional,' and suggested that he may have a substance abuse problem. Galbraith also called for President Obama to vastly limit Karzai's power to appoint officials within the country until he proves himself a reliable partner to the United States.
Describing the Afghan president, Galbraith said, "He's prone to tirades. He can be very emotional, act impulsively. In fact, some of the palace insiders say that he has a certain fondness for some of Afghanistan's most profitable exports." When pressed by Chuck Todd to clarify if he meant to suggest that Karzai has a substance abuse problem, Galbraith said, "There are reports to that effect."
Full transcript below. If used, please credit MSNBC.
SAVANNAH: MOVING ON THOUGH, WITH NEARLY 100,000 U.S. FORCES FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN, THE PRESIDENT OF THAT COUNTRY HAS ESCALATED A WAR OF WORDS, BLAMING THE WEST AND THE U.S. SPECIFICALLY FOR INTERFERENCE. HE EVEN THREATENED TO JOIN THE TALIBAN.
CHUCK: IN FACT, KARZAI CALLED OUT ONE DIPLOMAT BY NAME ACCUSING FORMER UN DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, PETER GALBRAITH, OF TRYING TO RIG LAST YEAR'S ELECTIONS SO HE WOULD LOSE. PETER GALBRAITH JOINS US LIVE THIS MORNING FROM NORWAY. AND SIR, LET ME ASK YOU, SO PRESIDENT KARZAI IS BEHIND THE SCENES THREATENING TO JOIN THE TALIBAN. HE JUST MET WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA TWO WEEKS AGO. DO WE THINK HE MADE THAT SAME THREAT TO THE PRESIDENT IN THEIR TALKS?
GALBRAITH: I'M SURE HE DID NOT. BUT THESE CHARGES AT FIRST THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST AMUSING. AS I THINK MANY PEOPLE KNOW, I WAS ACTUALLY FIRED BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL BECAUSE I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE FRAUD IN THE LAST YEAR'S
ELECTION. AND, OF COURSE, THE FRAUD WAS ORGANIZED BY KARZAI'S APPOINTEES AND HE WAS THE BENEFICIARY OF IT. BUT THIS CONTINUED TIRADE RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS MENTAL STABILITY.
AND FRANKLY, THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN OF CONCERN TO DIPLOMATS IN KABUL. HE'S KNOWN TO BE VERY EMOTIONAL.
SAVANNAH: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
GALBRAITH: WELL, HE'S PRONE TO TIRADES. HE CAN BE VERY EMOTIONAL, ACT IMPULSIVELY. IN FACT, SOME OF THE PALACE
INSIDERS SAY THAT HE HAS A CERTAIN FONDNESS FOR SOME OF
AFGHANISTAN'S MOST PROFITABLE EXPORTS.
SAVANNAH: OKAY. WAIT A MINUTE. IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THAT
ALLEGATION, LET'S BE EXPLICIT ABOUT IT.
CHUCK: SO YOU'RE SAYING HE'S GOT HIS OWN SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEM?
GALBRAITH: THERE ARE REPORTS TO THAT EFFECT. BUT WHATEVER THE CAUSE IS, THE REALITY IS THAT HE IS--HE CAN BE VERY EMOTIONAL. THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT AT ALL IN THE INTERESTS OF AFGHANISTAN. THERE WILL SOON BE 100,000
U.S. TROOPS THERE. WHAT POSSIBLE ADVANTAGE IS IT FOR HIM TO BE SUGGESTING HE MIGHT JOIN THE TALIBAN, TO ACCUSE AS HE DID TODAY THE UNITED STATES OF ORGANIZING THE FRAUD IN THE ELECTION THAT GOT HIM A SECOND TERM? THESE ARE VERY STRANGE COMMENTS.
CHUCK: I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, I GUESS I'M CONFUSED. WHAT DOES HE WANT? DOES HE WANT TO PUSH THE U.S. OUT? DOES HE NOT WANT OUR TROOPS THERE, WHICH KEEP WHICH SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE ARE THE ONLY THING THAT KEEP HIM IN POWER? I MEAN, WHAT IS HE LOOKING FOR? DOES HE WANT US TO BE THERE LONGER? I GUESS WHAT'S THE END GAME HERE?
GALBRAITH: WELL, PRECISELY. AND THIS IS EXACTLY THE QUESTION
THAT WILL HAS TO BE IN THE MINDS OF AMERICAN POLICYMAKERS.
WHY IS HE DOING THIS? WHAT IS IT THAT HE WANTS? AND THIS IS NOT JUST THE ANTICS OF A LEADER. THIS REALLY GOES TO THE PROSPECTS FOR SUCCESS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STRATEGY, BECAUSE NOW IT IS A COUNTER INSURGENCY STRATEGY AND COUNTER INSURGENCY STRATEGIES DEPEND ON HAVING A RELIABLE LOCAL PARTNER. WE NEED AN AFGHAN GOVERNMENT WHO CAN COME INTO AN AREA AFTER OUR TROOPS HAVE KICKED THE TALIBAN OUT WHO CAN PROVIDE HONEST ADMINISTRATION AND WIN THE LOYALTY OF THE POPULATION. AND WITH A GOVERNMENT HEADED BY HAMID KARZAI, IN OFFICE BY FRAUD, WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
SAVANNAH: BUT FAIR ENOUGH. BUT WHAT CAN THE WEST DO ABOUT
IT? W HAT CAN PRESIDENT OBAMA REALLY DO? I MEAN, HE THREATENS TO WITHDRAW TROOPS, HE'S GOT TO BE PREPARED TO MAKE GOOD ON THAT. WHAT'S THE LEVERAGE THE WEST HAS?
GALBRAITH: WELL, THE WEST MAY NOT HAVE MUCH LEVERAGE, BUT THAT RAISES A QUESTION. IF OUR TROOPS CANNOT ACCOMPLISH
THE MISSION, EVEN IF THE MISSION'S IMPORTANT, IF IT CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE RELIABLE PARTNER, THEN WHY SHOULD THEY BE THERE? IT IS A WASTE OF VERY PRECIOUS
MILITARY RESOURCES. PRECIOUS IN TERMS OF THE MONEY AND PRECIOUS IN TERMS OF LIVES.
CHUCK: PETER, IS THERE A THIRD PARTY THAT CAN SORT OF SIT DOWN WITH KARZAI, I MEAN, IF HE DISTRUSTS THE U.N., DISTRUSTS THE UNITED STATES, IS THERE SOME OTHER THIRD PARTY--SOMEBODY IN PAKISTAN OR SOMEBODY THAT CAN SORT OF REASON WITH HIM?
GALBRAITH: IT'S NOT AN ISSUE OF REASONING WITH HIM. IT IS THAT HE HAS RUN FOR EIGHT YEARS A CORRUPT AND INEFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT. NOW HE'S IN OFFICE BY FRAUD, SEEN AS ILLEGITIMATE BY A LARGE NUMBER OF AFGHANS. UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, HE
CANNOT BE A RELIABLE PARTNER. HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO WIN
THE TRUST OF A LARGE PART OF THE AFGHAN PEOPLE. HE'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE HONEST ADMINISTRATION, AND THESE COMMENTS ALSO SUGGEST THAT HE'S SLIGHTLY OFF BALANCE. AT LEAST SLIGHTLY OFF BALANCE. SO UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF HAVING SOMEBODY MEDIATE. IT'S NOT A FIXABLE PROBLEM.
SAVANNAH: I THINK WE'RE ABOUT TO LOSE YOU SO I'LL ASK YOU REAL QUICK, DO YOU THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS THERE TO ANNOUNCE THE DATE OF THIS VISIT WITH KARZAI, MAY 12th IN THE U.S.? DID THAT TAKE AWAY SOME OF THEIR BARGAINING ROOM?
GALBRAITH: WELL, I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A REAL QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THAT VISIT SHOULD NOW GO AHEAD. AND ALSO, IT'S ABOUT TIME THE U.S. SPOKE CANDIDLY ABOUT THIS MAN INSTEAD OF SAYING HE'S THERE LEGITIMATELY. HE'S NOT.
AND INSTEAD OF JUST CONTINUING ALL THE AID WITH NO STRINGS
ATTACHED. AMONG OTHER THINGS, ONE OF THE STRINGS WE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD ATTACH IS TO SAY THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO KARZAI APPOINTEES ON ANY OF THE COMMISSIONS THAT RUN THE AFGHANISTAN ELECTIONS.
CHUCK: PETER GALBRAITH, FORMER UN ENVOY, ENDED HIS TROUBLED REASON WITH SOME VERY, VERY SHARP WORDS TODAY FOR THIS CONTROVERSY. THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING FROM NORWAY.
SAVANNAH: THANK YOU, SIR.
