AFGHANISTAN Going home.

(From Arabies Trends)

Byline: Katya Balayan KABUL

There is a running joke in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Hamid Karzai sends a memo to the reigning warlord in a distant province. "It is time to lay down our weapons and work together," he tells him. "And as the duly elected head of state, I have drafted the following laws . . . ." To this, the warlord immediately responds: "Might I remind you that we are both working for the same organization - the United States. While I've been on their payroll for 17 years, you just came onboard. So I have seniority, and I call the shots!"

Afghanistan's central government acknowledged early on that part of ensuring stability in the country entails having to deal with the "local authorities," otherwise known as warlords. In the course of its tenure, the transitory cabinet managed to provide a semblance of law and order in Kabul. Beyond the capital, however, the country is dotted with warlords, who wield power over swathes of land, which they have acquired through questionable means.

The future of Afghanistan largely depends upon the cooperation of these warlords, who are capable of making or breaking the peace. They may be scoffed at as "lackeys," but these are men who are now armed to the teeth, thanks to the financial support of various Western countries.

Power hungry. The services of these so-called "local authorities" were first used during the Soviet occupation, when Western powers funneled money and armaments to the mujahidin that seemed the most promising. As a result, the aftermath of the Soviet defeat proved to be disastrous for Afghanistan as power-hungry warriors battled among themselves for territorial influence. This scenario led to the rise to power of the extremist Taliban.

"Last year, for the sake of expediency, the United States chose to once again empower the same old warlords by granting them large amounts of cash and military supplies so as to assist the United States in their military campaign against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban," said Helena Malikyar, who worked closely with Afghanistan's former king, Mohammed Zahar Shah, in Rome for many years and now serves as an analyst of Afghan affairs at New York University. "If the United States could stop supplying these warlords now, before they settle in and establish local means of income, there is a good chance of eradicating warlordism."