[…] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Afghanistan to join foreign dignitaries and Afghan leaders November 19 for President Hamid Karzai’s inauguration ceremony. Clinton says Afghanistan is at a critical moment in its history on the eve of the inauguration of Karzai’s second term. Speaking alongside U.S. Ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry, Clinton addressed a few hundred members of the U.S. Embassy staff.

[…] Thanks a lot. Thank you. Well, I am delighted to have this chance to come by and thank you in person for what you’re all doing. I’m very grateful to the leadership that both General McChrystal and General Rodriguez are giving to NATO-ISAF and to our American team. But I know that the work that’s done every single day is done by all of you in every aspect of this mission.

[…] The United States and Germany called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to implement measures to deliver services for the people of Afghanistan, root out corruption, and increase accountability and openness in the way the government works. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said at a press conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle November 9 in Berlin.

[…] Afghanistan held presidential and provincial elections August 20. For several weeks after the vote, Afghan election officials investigated claims of fraud and irregularities and ultimately threw out millions of votes. Because Karzai did not win an outright majority in the final tally, a presidential runoff vote against Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, his closest challenger, was planned for November 7.

[…] Well, good morning. Welcome to the Department of State. There has been obviously a great deal of focus here in Washington as the President and his senior team reviews our – not our strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, but making sure that we are implementing the strategy in an appropriate way and that ultimately, we have the resources required to achieve our overall objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

[…] A major topic this morning was the -- America's plans for ballistic missile defense in Europe.
I reinforced what the president and I said yes -- last month, that the changes proposed will provide for a more capable and flexible missile defense system sooner than was the case under the previous plan, and with a greater capacity to adapt as threats evolve.

[…] Civilian experts, including those assigned to provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs), have been deployed outside the capital Kabul and have helped local Afghan authorities increase their governing capabilities through projects such as training local officials and improving communications. Lew said the experts are introducing sub-national governance “in places that have not known it before.”

[…] I welcome President Karzai’s statement today accepting the Independent Electoral Commission’s certification of the August 20 election results, and agreeing to participate in a second round of the election. This is an important step forward in ensuring a credible process for the Afghan people which results in a government that reflects their will. While this election could have remained unresolved to the detriment of the country, President Karzai’s constructive actions established an important precedent for Afghanistan’s new democracy.

[…] Obama issued a statement October 20 welcoming Karzai’s decision, which came after the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan determined that the incumbent president had received a majority of votes from the August 20 election, but at 49.67 percent had come just short of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff vote.

[…] Afghanistan has been through a rough and contentious election. The bravery, patience, and resilience of the Afghan people has been on display since election day, when so many of them went to the polls in the face of threats and intimidation.
And after many weeks of counting ballots and much debate over the flaws in the vote, Afghans showed today that their processes work.

[…] “We’re trying to look at [Afghanistan] from the ground up and make sure that we’re examining every assumption, because what’s important is that at the end of the day the president makes a decision that he believes in, that he thinks is going to further our core objectives of … protecting our country, preventing attacks on us, trying to protect our interests and our allies,” Clinton said in an interview with CNN that aired October 6.