In an exclusive interview with CNN in Davos, Switzerland, Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai welcomed the title of U.S. puppet.
“The U.S administration has helped Afghanistan and if we are called puppets, or if I am called a puppet because we are grateful to America, then let that be my nickname,” an unapologetic Karzai said.
Karzai indeed has much to be “grateful” for. According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States had spent an estimated $99 billion as of March 2007 on military operations in Afghanistan.
The Jan. 14 bombing of the Serena hotel, a venue for top-level government, embassies and business activities, serves as a reminder of Karzai’s dependence on the United States to keep his government from being toppled. The Serena is in close proximity to the presidential palace, where Karzai remains largely confined.
