Striking at Afghanistan corruption

The unannounced, whirlwind visit of the US president to Afghanistan this past weekend appeared designed to appeal to multiple audiences, and to deliver multiple messages. To the American people, Barack Obama wished to show renewed focus and attention to his duties as Commander-in-Chief, in part to counteract the recent impression that his focus on healthcare reform has excluded nearly everything else. Similarly, he wished to reassure deployed US troops of his support and his willingness to stay the course, which had come into question after his West Point speech in December 2009 when he distinctly downgraded his previously ambitious goals for Afghanistan and promised the beginning of a draw-down in just 18 months. Obama's messages of focus and resolve were no doubt aimed at the leaders of regional powers as well, whose attention to Afghanistan–and the reciprocal attention of the Afghan president–have been much in evidence of late. The message and the symbolism of Obama's interactions with Hamid Karzai, however, while perhaps more subtle and nuanced, were just as clear.