As the Kabul-Washington bilateral relation sliding downward, the future looms annoying. In a meeting last week regarding Afghanistan, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden reportedly favored a total commitment of only 2,000 troops after the NATO combat mission ends in December, a stance said to be indicative of a broader shift that has occurred in Washington in light of the ongoing stalemate over the Kabul-Washington security pact. U.S. military officials have told the Wall Street Journal that the deadlock facing the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) has begun compelling policymakers to shift their support towards a less ambitious presence in Afghanistan post-2014 than previously imagined. According to U.S. diplomats, the longer the BSA remains unsigned, the more Washington will have to begin to plan for the "zero-option", which would see all U.S. troops withdraw by the end of the year.
No doubt, Biden has been a key figure in pushing for minor engagement since his service in President Obama’s administration. He has been a champion of ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Seemingly, the number of supporters of Biden's approach has increased as negotiations over the BSA have hit a rough patch, with President Hamid Karzai refusing to sign the accord. According to several polls made, Americans generally favor a full withdrawal from Afghanistan while Washington officials persistently ask President Karzai to sign the security in order to let them prepare post-2014 plan.
Meanwhile, President Karzai is looking to scenario with least obsession. He is confident about his decision without caring about all signs denoting the opposite. He is not moving an inch back from his stance. In a conversation with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, he said his stance was based on experience the Afghans went through over the past 12 years, calling on Washington to demonstrate sincerity in meeting Afghanistan's legitimate demands. Pointing again to his demands, he said Kabul was willing to ink the deal with Washington, but raids on Afghan's homes should be stopped and peace efforts practically started before the agreement was inked.
It is now really important that a final decision should be taken about the BSA as further stalemate will invite further ambiguities and uncertainties in the country, while the fragile situation does not support such a scenario.