After opponent Abdullah Abdullah dropped out of the race in protest, last Saturday’s runoff vote in Afghanistan was cancelled and President Hamid Karzai was declared the winner. Voting irregularities and charges of corruption tainted the earlier election. International pressure to cancel the runoff out of fears the earlier vote-rigging would be repeated came from several nations including the United States.

What this means for U.S. nation-building efforts in a tribal culture where the central government is often viewed as less significant than local warlords remains to be seen. GreatHistory writer Frank Chadwick offers his insights in a blog written just before the election was cancelled.

GreatHistory’s partner site, ArmchairGeneral.com, has just published What Next in Afghanistan?, in which strategist Ralph Peters and intel analyst John Sutherland debate the three main options for the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan. ACG is asking readers to weigh in on the question.

About the Author: I regard historic research as a never-ending Easter egg hunt: You never know where you'll find a hidden treasure. Growing up with parents who told stories of family history probably had a lot to do with that. I realized early on that history is about lives already lived. I've met war veterans, early aviators, friends of Abraham Lincoln's in-laws, and a host of others who shared their histories with me – and it was never boring!

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