Afghan elders tribal elders voted to endorse a crucial security deal that would enable American troops to operate in the country beyond next year.  And then President Hamid Karzai threw the whole thing up in the air by refusing to say whether he would sign it into law.

Karzai is threatening to leave the unsigned document on his desk until after Presidential elections next April.  The US has warned that it must be signed by year’s end in order to guarantee US troops to help Afghan forces fend off the Taliban insurgency.  Without them, the Afghans would fight the Taliban alone.

“If there is no peace, then this agreement will bring misfortune to Afghanistan.  Peace is our precondition,” Karzai said without elaborating, “America should bring us peace and then we will sign it.”

When Karzai presented the deal to the Loya Jirga meeting of Tribal leaders last week, he made it clear there was little trust between him and the country protection his government.  If Karzai is simply attempting some brinksmanship to extract last minute concessions out of Washington, he might have miscalculated.

“He’s definitely pushed too far,” one diplomat said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the dispute.  “There’s a general consensus that he’s overestimated the importance to the Americans of the agreement and is thinking that they must have it at all costs.  The Americans internally are very clear: that it’s not a vital strategic interest, and he doesn’t get that.”