Warlords in Afghanistan's election

Karzai has been making deals with warlords to get their support in the upcoming election. The NYT reports that warlords give Karzai support in exchange for various favors: "While the precise nature of such deals is not known, Western officials, Afghan politicians and nongovernmental organizations contend that they include promises of protection from prosecution, the awarding of cabinet ministries and governorships, the creation of provinces to benefit one ethnic group, and the freeing of major drug traffickers."