Karzai enlisted a former warlord, Muhammad Qasim Fahim, as one of two running mates for vice-president. Karzai’s second running mate is a current vice president, Muhammad Karim Khalili, who is a powerful Shiite leader and also a former mujahedeen commander.
This is important, as it illustrates once again perhaps the key problem in Afghanistan's domestic politics: warlords, drug lords and former mujahideen still hold the power in the country. This is a result of US policy, which has supported and funded warlords since the 2001 invasion, and in the 1980s against the Soviet invasion and occupation. Progressive groups and individuals in Afghanistan have basically been ignored. So now we're stuck with a pack of warlords and fundamentalists running the country.
Asia Times online has a very good article on Karzai's two running mates, Fahim and Khalili, the two former warlords.
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