Afghan President Hamid Karzai Begins Closely Watched Second Term

In his inaugural address, President Karzai aimed to deflect criticism of his leadership, which has from the United States and other countries who have invested money and lives in Afghanistan. 
 
"The ministers of Afghanistan must possess integrity and be professionals serving the nation," President Karzai said in his speech before 800 guests. "Those who spread corruption should be tried and prosecuted." 

With the nation's capital, Kabul, on lock down for the inauguration ceremony, Karzai also addressed international concerns about his government's ability to maintain law and order.

"We are determined that within the next five years the Afghan forces are capable of taking the lead in ensuring security and stability across the country," Karzai said.  

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one of the 300 foreign dignitaries at the event, said she was "pleased" that Karzai committed to training and empowering Afghan security forces to take over the duties of U.S. and NATO troops. 

"It is clearly one of the highest priorities both for the government, people of Afghanistan as well as for our NATO leadership here because the goal is to create conditions of security that will be able to be transferred and maintained by the Afghan security forces," Clinton said. 

Election tainted by fraud charges

	The elections on August 20 saw a spike in violence; Afghan news outlets were forbidden by the government to report any violence for fear of discouraging voters.

Karzai begins his term amid suspicions that the presidential elections on August 20 were neither free nor fair.  
 
After a United Nations investigation found that a third of the votes cast for Karzai were fake, Afghanistan began preparing for a runoff election. But that was canceled when Karzai's main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the race. Karzai won his second term by default. 
 

Prior to becoming the first president elected in Afghanistan's history in 2004, Karzai served as interim president after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. 

President George W. Bush called him a man of "honor, courage and skill helping to build a new and democratic Afghanistan." But since then, accusations of corruption have tarnished his reputation. 

Government corruption mars already uneasy relationship with U.S.

	President Karzai, right, vowed to end corruption at a Nov. 3 press conference with Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim by his side.

Transparency International, a corruption-tracking organization, labels Afghanistan as the second-most corrupt country in the world, while the New York Times reports that, "Everything seems to be for sale: public offices, access to government services, even a person's freedom."  
 
Afghans and outside critics have charged Karzai with making deals with warlords who control tribal areas in the months leading up to the summer elections. 
 
"Corruption goes from the highest to the lowest levels in Afghanistan," J. Alexander Their, director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the United States Institute of Peace, told the NewsHour. 
 
"You hear about problems in corruption at the street level, with people trying to get driver's licenses, going into courts, being asked for bribes, going through roadblocks and things like that. But it also goes to the very highest levels of the government." 
 
U.S. officials are hoping, however, that Karzai's new term will herald a fresh start in his relationship with other world leaders. 

Will President Obama send more troops to Afghanistan?

	Click here to see which countries have troops in Afghanistan.

 As Americans grow increasingly uneasy with what many are beginning to see as an endless quagmire in Afghanistan, debate continues within the Obama administration over whether to send up to 40,000 additional U.S. troops to the country next year.  
 
There are currently just over 70,000 international troops in Afghanistan, according to the New York Times. 
 
President Barack Obama has pledged to make a decision soon, rejecting Republican criticisms that he is "dithering" on the issue.