There is a Limit to the Patience of the People

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's strategy of negotiating with the Taliban to help keep his nation "united" appears to be having the opposite effect. From liberal NGOs and Afghan women's groups to the warlords who still hold sway with large segments of the population, Karzai is facing opposition that may plunge the nation into a deeper crisis. Terry Glavin reports from Afghanistan:

The godfather of Afghanistan's warlords is throwing his weight behind growing opposition to President Hamid Karzai's negotiations with the Taliban.

"There is a limit to the patience of the people," said Bernahuddin Rabbani, 70, a former Afghan president.

"Beyond that limit, no one can be patient any more."

He fears a return to the fratricidal warfare that preceded the Taliban's ouster if Mr. Karzai attempts to cut a Western-backed deal that betrays Afghanistan's embryonic democracy.

"As I read history, when a nation's problems become this complex and they are not solved, that could result in violence and revolutions and other unwanted things," he said.

"Water is very soft, but if you put it under pressure, it will explode."

An impromptu alliance of Afghan democrats, women's rights leaders, reformers and MPs has sprung up in defiance of Mr. Karzai's "peace at any cost" approach.

His policy of detente is also forging a rare consensus across the political class, uniting pro-democracy Pashtuns with former northern warlords.

Mr. Rabbani's involvement is bound to give the anti-appeasement opposition a sharper edge. It was only with his blessing that Mr. Karzai became president of the interim government in 2002.

Also, events in recent days have boosted the opposition's belief a sellout is not necessary. Opponents point to successes in capturing Taliban leaders.

Mr. Karzai's latest Taliban reconciliation scheme was concocted in response to the flagging resolve for a long-term effort among NATO countries.