Afghan Protests

Violent protests in eastern Afghanistan, which originally focused on allegations of Qur'an desecration at Guantanamo Bay, have taken on a more general opposition to American military bases in the country. This is seen as a repudiation of Hamid Karzai's plans for a "strategic partnership" with the United States, plans approved at a recent loya jirga by a bunch of tribal elders. I doubt the students will get Karzai to change course, but these events will likely place it firmly on the agenda of the Afghan Parliament, assuming one is ever elected and formed.