Robert Young Pelton: Analysis of the Afghan Run-Off — Ghani Won, Abdullah’s Claims Without Merit

In the controversy and protesting stirred up by Abdullah, what is missing is a calm review of today’s political landscape in Afghanistan. Javid Ahmad a Program Coordinator for Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and Ahmad Hemmat, a D.C.-based researcher and advisor to the chairman of International Energy Partnerships makes some …

Robert Young Pelton: ON AFGHANISTAN – Why Abdullah and Fraud Will Destroy the Country and Destabilize the Region

Phi Beta Iota: RYP wrote this in part to react to Abdullah’s cavalier rejection of the Iraq scenario playing out  today, for Afghanistan. His over-all point is that both candidates — Abdullah and Ghani — have pluses and minuses  that voters and donors must consider BUT that there is only one clean candidate capable of …

Robert Young Pelton: Hamid Gul Endorses Abdullah — Does This Make Ghani’s Victory Certain? UPDATE Adds Poll Showing 49 to 41

Given how Afghans feel about Pakistan, this endorsement will probably have the opposite effect and reinforce Ghani’s bid. UPDATE: Just in from Telegraph on 11 June: Economist may lead Afghanistan after forming alliance with warlord in presidential elections ORIGINAL POST: Afghan Election: Endorsement From Pakistan’s Ex-Spy Chief Causes Stir Fred Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, …

Andrew Garfield: Afghan Government Indicted for Fraud – Ghani Wins Unless International Community Fails to Run Polls and Contest Massive Fraud by Abdullah and Karzai

Afghanistan On The Brink – The Last Chance For A “Correction” By Andrew Garfield Foreign Policy Research Institute, June 10, 2014 – 10:03am PBI Executive Summary: Significant fraud in first round (at least one seventh of the total votes); 3,000 election staff fired, Afghan government indicted for forbidding polls (the major fraud detection measure) and …

Robert Steele: Ghani Wins by 6% or More — 5,000 Mullahs for Ghani, Karzai Frantically Trying to Deal, Abdullah Promising Millions (But Out of Cash), with Pakistan Destabilizing to Stave Off Durand Line Challenge by Afghanistan

SUMMARY OF VARIED OPEN SOURCES: There is a Pashtun Storm brewing. For months Karzai has been frantically trying to deal away the run-off, thus acknowledging that Ghani has won the Presidency. Karzai is trying to place Abdullah as Prime Minister (which has always been Abdullah’s only realistic goal as a 100% Tajik minority) and claim …