A rchive Date
[ 21-02-2005 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Afghanistan ]
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[http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,,567569,00.html
Afghanistan - Key Players
In some ways the showdown comes down to a test of personal resolve - George W. Bush versus Osama bin Laden. The two men are a study in contrasts: college-educated and politically savvy, Bush is the epitome of a Western politician, trained to preside over democracy's institutions; Bin Laden, got his leadership training on Afghanistan's savage battlefields, trading the trappings of wealth and privilege for a life of exile. Surrounding them is a complicated cast of secondary characters, including hawks and doves in Bush's inner circle and fellow Muslim fighters for and against bin Laden.
Osama bin Laden
America's most wanted terrorist suspect, Osama bin Laden, was born into one of Saudi Arabia's wealthiest families, the youngest of 24 children. The Islamic fundamentalist is said to be the leader of al-Qaeda, the worldwide network of terrorists made up of independent, underground cells.
Bin Laden began working with the Afghan resistance against the Soviets in 1979, funded by the U.S, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. He turned against Saudi Arabia and the U.S. after Riyadh turned to America during the Gulf War, allowing U.S. forces to use Saudi Arabia as a launching pad, instead of using his own army of mujahedin warriors to fight against Iraq.
After falling out with the Saudi leadership, he left the country in 1991, and his citizenship was revoked in 1994. He has been based in Afghanistan since 1998.
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Mohammed Atef
One of Osama bin Laden's top deputies, Mohammed Atef was killed Nov. 16 during air strikes, according to the U.S, which accused Atef of helping plan the September 11 attacks. Atef and bin Laden's relationship goes back to the early 1980s when the two recruited fighters for the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Later, Atef set up operations and trained fighters for al-Qaeda - bin Laden's Islamic army.
When al-Qaeda merged with the Islamic Jihad of Egypt in 1998 Atef became the military-wing commander. After his group claimed responsibility for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, Atef was indicted by the U.S. According to the British government, Atef organized violence against American and United Nations soldiers in Somalia in 1992 and 1993. In early 2001, Atef's daughter married bin Laden's son.
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Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri
Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri is one of Osama bin Laden's top two lieutenants, along with Mohammed Atef, and is the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. U.S. officials say al-Zawahiri is actually the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks and is al-Qaeda's spiritual advisor. Al-Zawahiri, born in Egypt in 1951, was educated as a doctor and lawyer. His group, which aspires to turn Egypt into a fundamentalist Islamic state, was responsible for the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Al-Zawahiri served three years in prison in connection with that crime and has been indicted for his alleged role in 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. After leaving Egypt in 1985, al-Zawahiri lived in Afghanistan and Pakistan and fought with Afghans during the Soviet occupation.
Mullah Mohammed Omar
TALIBAN LEADER
Mohammed Omar is the supreme leader of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban. Now in his early 40s, he is said to have only met two non-Muslims in his life. He was a fighter in the Afghan resistance to the Soviet occupation alongside Osama bin Laden, and following Moscow's retreat he created the Taliban in the early 1990s to put an end to the chaos which had engulfed the country. By 1996 he had consolidated his control over almost 95 per cent of the country and began transforming it into what he envisaged as the purest Islamic state in the world.
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Hamid Karzai
AFGHAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT LEADER
Hamid Karzai, the leader of Afghanistan’s interim government, was preparing for the final push on the city of Kandahar when he was selected to head the post-Taliban administration.
For a brief time in the early 1990s Karzai supported the Taliban, which he regarded as Pashtun, like himself. He quickly became suspicious of the group, not pleased with how it had been infiltrated by foreign elements such as Pakistani, Arab, and Chechen extremists.
In 1999, the Taliban assassinated Karzai’s father. Kazai then devoted himself to the campaign against the Taliban, determined to follow his father’s wishes that a multi-ethnic, broad-based government rule Afghanistan.
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Burhanuddin Rabbani
NORTHERN ALLIANCE LEADER LEADER
Afghanistan President Burhanuddin Rabbani remains recognized by most world governments as the country's legitimate ruler.
A former professor of Islamic law at Kabul University, he became government leader in 1992, after the mujahedin overthrew communist-backed leader Najibullah. Since being forced out of power in 1996 by the Taliban, Rabbani has led the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. The movement, which controls five per cent of the country, has its support base in the north, and suffered a serious setback when its chief military commander, Ahmed Shah Massood, was killed in a suicide attack earlier this month. He was replaced by Gen. Mohammed Fahim. The movement also includes the leader of Afghanistan's Uzbek minority, Gen. Rashid Dostum, who commands 15,000 men, according to a Russian report. Like the Taliban, the Northern Alliance's weaponry includes antiquated Russian fighter jets and helicopter gunships, most left over from Soviet occupation.
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Mohammed Zahir Shah
FORMER KING OF AFGHANISTAN
Eighty-six-year old former King Zahir Shah ruled the country for 40 years and was deposed in 1973 by his cousin Sardar Mohammad Daoud, who proclaimed the country a republic. Analysts say Zahir may be one of the few figures who can unite the country's warring factions. He came to the throne at age 19 after his father was assassinated by a college student, and, along with uncles and brothers, reasserted central government control of the country following a period of anarchy. In 1964 he unveiled a new constitution for the country, setting up a two-chamber partially-elected legislature, which gave impetus to opposition parties. Zahir was overthrown by his former Prime Minister after allegations of corruption against the royal family and a decline in the country's economic conditions. Zahir has lived in Rome ever since and has remained active in Afghan opposition affairs, along with younger members of his family.
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General Pervez Musharraf
PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN
Pakistani President Gen. Musharraf proclaimed himself Pakistan's chief executive after ousting the country's elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, during a bloodless coup in October 1999. Born in 1943 in New Delhi, Gen. Pervez Musharraf migrated with his family to Karachi, Pakistan, when it was founded in 1947. He joined the army in 1964 and was trained as a commando, fighting in the country's wars with India in 1965 and 1971. Known for his anti-Indian views, he rose quickly through the ranks in spite of not belonging to the army's predominantly Punjabi officer class. Musharraf seized control following an internal struggle between Sharif and the army for control of the country.
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Saddam Hussein
PRESIDENT OF IRAQ
Saddam Hussein remains a vocal critic of the U.S. and the West despite losing the 1991 Persian Gulf War to the American-led coalition of forces.
Born in 1937, Hussein joined the Baath party in 1956 while at college in Baghdad. He worked his way up to a position on the ruling Revolutionary Command Council, and was considered the power behind the country's ailing president for years until he became head of state in 1979. In 1980 he launched a costly war against Iran, which ended in a ceasefire eight years later. Undeterred, in August 1990 he invaded Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War in 1991.
U.S. officials have said they have no evidence linking him to the deadly terror attacks on New York and Washington, however he remains a thorn in their side.
George W. Bush
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
A staunch Republican with hawkish views on national defence, U.S. President George W. Bush has grown as a leader as the crisis unfolded. Initial criticism over what some saw as his lacklustre response to the tragedy has given way to widespread support for his actions. Backed by a seasoned team of senior Republicans, many of whom advised his father during the Gulf War, Bush has been resolute in reassuring Americans that retribution will follow.
Bush was elected 43rd U.S. president in a bitterly-contested election in November 2000. Born July 6, 1945, son of George Bush and wife Barbara, he grew up in Texas. After graduating from Yale with a bachelor's degree in history and from Harvard with an MBA, he was an F-102 pilot with Texas's national guard before beginning a career in oil and gas in 1975. He became involved in politics during his father's 1988 presidential campaign and became a partner in the Texas Rangers baseball team before being elected Governor of Texas in 1994, serving two terms.
He and wife Laura have twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara.
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Dick Cheney
U.S. VICE-PRESIDENT
Considered a hardliner on national defence issues, vice president Dick Cheney, 59, was defence secretary during the previous Bush administration, earning widespread praise for his handling of the Gulf War.
Born in Nebraska in 1941, Cheney grew up in Casper, Wyoming and graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in political science in 1965. His first Washington job was with the Nixon administration as special assistant to Donald Rumsfeld, who was director of the office of Economic Opportunity. Cheney also served under President Ford starting in 1974 as deputy assistant, before becoming White House Chief of Staff from 1975 to 77. He was elected to the House representing Wyoming in 1978 and worked his way up to become Republican whip in 1988. After the Democrats came to power, Cheney became CEO of oil industry engineering company Halliburton Corp. until he was recruited by current president Bush.
Since the 1980s Cheney has had four heart attacks, the most recent in November 2000. He is married with two daughters. His wife Lynne is also a prominent politician and accomplished academic.
John Ashcroft
U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL
Known for his conservative Christian views, Ashcroft, 59, served as governor of Missouri from 1984-1992. Born in Chicago and raised in Springfield, he is the son of a minister, an active church member and recorded gospel singer. Ashcroft studied law at University of Chicago, where he met his future wife, also a law student, and graduated from Yale University. He entered political life in 1976 when he was elected as Missouri's attorney general, and was re-elected in 1980. He entered national politics in 1994, when he was elected Missouri senator. Ashcroft is one of four Singing Senators, a Senate musical group.
In accordance with his religious beliefs, Ashcroft does not drink, smoke or dance. He is considered a hawk on national security issues.
Colin Powell
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE
Considered to have impeccable credentials and integrity, Colin Powell brings his experience as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War to this conflict. Considered a "dove" on issues of national defence, Powell has been cautious about committing American troops to conflicts and has stressed the need for operations to have clearly-defined goals and exit strategies.
Born in New York City on April 5, 1937, Powell was appointed Secretary of State by president Bush in January 2001. Powell served as 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defence from 1989 to 1993, serving under presidents Clinton and Bush. Raised in the South Bronx, he attended City College of New York where he joined the forces, receiving a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation and obtained an MBA at George Washington University.
Powell served two tours of duty in Vietnam and has held several senior command positions. He and wife Alma have one son and two daughters.
Donald Rumsfeld
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY
An elder statesman within the Republican party, Rumsfeld, now 69, was the youngest secretary of defence in history when he served under President Ford from 1975-77. A supporter of the missile defence system, he is considered a hawk on issues of national defence.
An aviator with the U.S. Navy from 1954-57, the Chicago-born Rumsfeld was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1962, where he remained until 1968. He held several positions in the Nixon administration, and was also Ford's chief of staff. After Ford was defeated, Rumsfeld moved into the corporate world and became director of various firms in addition to starting a pharmaceutical firm, G.D. Searle. He was U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1973-74.
He and his wife Joyce have three children.
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- VIDEO: CBC TV's Nancy Wilson talks to Joe Cirincione, senior analyst at the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, about Donald Rumsfeld's visit to the Middle East, Oct. 3, 2001
General Richard B. Myers
CHAIRMAN, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
Air Force Gen. Richard. B. Myers succeeded former Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry Shelton on October 1, almost three weeks after the terrorist attacks. Formerly joint chiefs vice chairman, Myers was the second highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. and has been a senior player throughout the crisis, sticking closely to Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's side.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, he graduated in 1965 from Kansas State University, and got his MBA from Auburn University. An air force pilot, he has held various operational command and leadership positions including commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defence Command and U.S. Space Command. From July 1996-97 he was assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs.
General Myers is married and has three children, two daughters and a son.
Condoleezza Rice
U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
Former foreign policy advisor to President Bush (senior), Rice, 46, was a member of the National Security Council from 1989-91, specializing in Soviet and East European affairs. An accomplished scholar, Rice got her BA from the University of Denver in 1974 and MA from Notre Dame University, working her way up the ranks of academia to become provost at Stanford University by 1993.
She was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of two educators. She's considered a moderate on issues of national defence. She now serves as national security advisor to Bush.
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- VIDEO: Politics' Don Newman talks to U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.
Tom Ridge
U.S. DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Tom Ridge was seconded to the newly-created post of Director of Homeland Security from his position as governor of Pennsylvania shortly after the terrorist attacks. The longtime Republican party politician was once touted as a possible running mate for George W. Bush.
Born to a working class family in Pittsburgh's Steel Valley, Ridge attended Harvard Law school on scholarship, graduating with honors in 1967. The decorated Vietnam War veteran served as a Congressman for 12 years before becoming governor in 1994, where he introduced a conservative agenda of tax cuts and tight spending. Although Catholic, he supports abortion rights for women. He is married, with two children.
Tony Blair
PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN
Tony Blair became British prime minister on May 1, 1997. Born in Edinburgh on May 6, 1953 he attended Fettes College in Edinburgh and St John's College in Oxford, where he studied law. He was a barrister until 1983 when he was elected MP for Sedgefield. While the party was in opposition he became part of the shadow cabinet in 1988, serving in the energy and employment portfolios. In 1992 he became shadow secretary for home affairs.
He was elected to the party's national executive committee in Sept. 1992 and became leader in July 1994. Blair and wife Cherie have three sons and a daughter.
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Jacques Chirac
PRESIDENT OF FRANCE
Jacques Chirac was born 1932 and joined the civil service in 1961. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1967, holding several governmental posts before serving as premier from 1974-76, when he became head of a breakaway party.
He served as mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995 and became premier for a second time from 1986-88. He won his third bid for the presidency in 1995.
Jean Chrétien
PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA
Jean Chrétien, was elected Canada's 20th prime minister on November 4, 1993, after years of public service.
Born Jan. 11, 1934 in Shawinigan, Quebec, as the 18th child of a paper mill worker, he studied law at Laval University where he also joined the campus Liberal Club. He was first elected as an MP in 1963, and was appointed as a parliamentary secretary in 1965.
Chrétien served under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as minister of national revenue in 1968, and later as minister of Indian and northern affairs. He became minister of finance in 1977, and minister of justice in 1980. During the patriation of Canada's constitution he was minister of constitutional negotiations. He became party leader in 1990, succeeding John Turner.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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