Ahmad Wali Karzai's story illustrates how the American neoconservatives' way of war allowed entrepreneurs of violence to expand their power in Afghanistan.
Eleven centuries ago, Afghan poet Abu Shukur wrote words which have often haunted rulers of his tormented nation:
“a tree with a bitter seed,
fed with butter and sugar,
will still bear a bitter fruit.”
The assassination of Ahmad Wali Karzai, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half-brother and one of the country's most feared men, necessitates a careful reflection on the abiding power of its country's warlords and what their influence portends, as the United States begins scaling down its forces.