Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai (R) talks with U.S. Special Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke in Kabul in this February 15, 2009 file photo. Holbrooke, who was President Barack Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, died on December 13, 2010, CNN reported citing a senior U.S. official. He was 69.Omar Sobhani/Reuters
The death of Richard Holbrooke leaves a vacuum in Washington's dealings with Afghanistan, and comes at a critical time when relations are at a low point and the U.S. diplomatic team in Kabul is due for an overhaul.
It also adds uncertainty to an allied strategy that pairs military gains against the insurgents with institution-building and improved cross-border co-operation with Pakistan.
Karl Eikenberry, the general-turned-diplomat who is the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, is expected to be replaced by the spring, if not earlier. Western diplomats worry that Mr. Eikenberry's ability to work with President Hamid Karzai has been compromised by the release of secret embassy cables in which he is highly critical of the Afghan leader.
"Their personal dealings are poisoned by all that, and to a greater degree than Holbrooke's problems with Karzai ever were," said an ambassador from another NATO country.
Mr. Holbrooke had his own difficulties dealing with Mr. Karzai, which worsened when he upbraided the President during a fraud-ridden election in Afghanistan last year. But the veteran U.S. envoy would have provided a measure of consistency and knowledge of the regional players over the critical months ahead.
"Although Ambassador Holbrooke's relationship with Karzai was tense and testy, he managed to forge strong ties with other members of the Afghan government," said Saad Mohseni, the owner of Afghanistan's largest private media conglomerate. "He will be a hard man to replace."
As the Obama adminstration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mr. Holbrooke was a frequent visitor to the region, cajoling and pressuring powerbrokers in Pakistan's government, military and intelligence community. His grasp of both countries made him a valuable interlocutor. "He was able to convince Pakistanis, especially the government, that he was sympathetic to Pakistan's concerns while protecting U.S. interests," said Hasan-Askari Rizvi, a defence analyst in Lahore.
His views on many key issues matched those of top Afghan officials, and helped sway U.S. policy in their direction over the past few months. For instance, he advocated channelling more of the multi-billion-dollar foreign assistance given to Afghanistan through the government, rather than leaving donors to spend it without consulting the Afghans.
He supported a stronger emphasis on a negotiated settlement to the inter-Afghan conflict, arguing forcefully that it could not be resolved over the long term by military means alone. As such he was seen in Kabul as a useful counterbalance to the military, even though his doubts about the sustainability of a purely military strategy had begun to isolate him in Washington.
With file from Graeme Smith