There’s been a lot of concern lately about Burhanuddin Rabbani, the political leader of the Northern Alliance. He was quite belligerent after Kabul was occupied by the NA, telling the British to stay the hell out, rejecting the idea that Zahir Shah would return to lead the country, and generally being uncooperative with efforts by the UN to bring all the players to the table. Since then, though, he seems to have moderated his approach significantly. First he said that he would be OK with stepping aside if the Bonn conference reached a consensus on a government that didn’t involve him, and now saying that individuals who were associated with the Taliban can be part of a new government. The book on Rabbani all along has been that he’s not interested in being a power monger, and his recent statements lend credence to that assessment.