President Karzai remains in his position of defiance against the United States over the signing of the bilateral security agreement, which was recently endorsed by the Loya Jirga. To gauge the stance of the Afghan government over the security agreement after Jirga endorsement, US National Security Advisor, Susan Rice visited Kabul and met President Hamid Karzai. Seemingly, the visit yielded no immediate results for resolving the issue. Reportedly, Karzai has raised a number of other demands from the US. Though the endorsement of the deal has been viewed as a success, President Karzai’s ongoing defiance to the US over the security deal is suggesting that he may attempt to take advantage of the mandate granted to him by the Loya Jirga.

In general, the approval of the security agreement between Kabul and Washington was a success for Afghanistan, paving the way for a smooth transition of security to Afghans and continued support of the international community. At a time when the Afghan security forces need a sustained support from the NATO, securing a long-term deal with the US is critical for maintaining the international security cooperation and support to Afghanistan. This success is particularly highlighted when we remember the widespread fears about possible failure of the negotiations for producing a credible outcome that would guarantee a long-term international support to Afghanistan. And ultimately, President Karzai’s role in handling the Jirga affairs and convincing its participants to approve the deal was remarkable.

However, any delay in signing the much-delayed security agreement between Kabul and Washington is not a good sign for Afghanistan-US long-term partnership. In recent days, many political parties have echoed the Loya Jirga, calling on President Karzai to sign the agreement soon, as requested by the Jirga. But Karzai, who himself made every efforts to convince the Loya Jirga participants to approve the agreement, has remained defiant to a timely signing of the security deal between Afghanistan and the United States that was recently finalized by Afghan and American officials. While the Jirga made it clear that the agreement should be signed without any delay, the President insisted that he was going to continue bargaining with the US over the bilateral security agreement.

Before the Loya Jirga was convened, it was feared by both Kabul and Washington that there may exist some levels of opposition to the agreement among Afghans that might result to rejection of the deal. However, the meeting of the Jirga proved not only supportive to the government, but also pushed the government for a timely signing of the bilateral security agreement, which perhaps came as a surprise to the Afghan and American governments. With the approval of the deal by the Jirga, now it would be much easier for the Afghan government to gain support of the parliament and sign the much-awaited security agreement with the United States.

However, the reluctance shown by President Karzai over signing of the deal is of high concerns, since the President may go ahead with his reluctance that could potentially jeopardize a smooth signing of the security agreement. President Karzai has openly related the deal with the upcoming elections, and some circles believe that he might seek his own political agendas regarding the elections and the US role in providing support to the ongoing political transition in Afghanistan. Ironically, President Karzai made accusations against the US, referring to the role of the international community in previous presidential election in Afghanistan, while the Afghan authorities must also be blamed for the widespread frauds and irregularities in the previous presidential elections.

The endorsement of the agreement by the Loya Jirga came as a victory for the Afghan government and President Karzai, who is trying to portray himself as an independent leader at a time of crisis. By approval of the security deal with the United States, the Loya Jirga provided Karzai the legitimacy he desperately needs for making any agreement with the US for prolonging its presence beyond 2014. While negotiating for an agreement with the US, President Karzai remained highly cautious of what heritage he will leave behind and what history will judge about him and his decision on prolonging US presence in Afghanistan. With his delicate handling of the Jirga affairs, the President gained the support he needed for securing a long-term security agreement with the United States without losing political credibility.

The government of Afghanistan was viewed in a position of weakness prior to convening the Jirga, because it was generally believed that the government did not have the backing of the Afghan public in the negotiations with the US. The Loya Jirga approval of the deal and possibly a parliamentary support for Afghanistan-US future partnership has also strengthened President Karzai’s position in the Afghan politics and the ongoing security negotiations with the US. While the approval of the Loya Jirga should serve as a mean to hasten the process of signing the security agreement with the US, it is now feared that it has provided Karzai with the political credibility to further delay signing of the deal and begin confronting the US at a time when a timely signing of the deal is critically needed.

The handling of the Loya Jirga suggested that, sooner or later, the President is going to secure the much-awaited security deal with the United States. However, Karzai’s remarks on the final day of the Loya Jirga meeting suggest that he is going to relate the deal with the upcoming elections. This is something that questions intentions of the government about its commitment to avoid interfering in the election process. President’s move to delay signing of the security deal and relating it to the future elections will only stir suspicions and distrusts among the Afghan political spectrum, which is no way in interests of a transparent election process.

On the other hand, any delay still can harm the long-term cooperation between Afghanistan and the US. The United States has obliged itself in the security agreement to Afghanistan’s interests in exchange with the specific conditions it has put forward for a long-term commitment to Afghanistan. The US has been frustrated with the controversies of shifts in the Afghan stance in recent months and Karzai’s anti-US rhetoric. The American officials have termed any delay in signing of the security deal as impossible. And, it is crucial for both Afghanistan and the United States to finalize the security agreement as quickly as possible without any chance of risk for the future partnership.