AFGHANISTAN: Is a dead man the real ruler of Afghanistan? Judging by photographs that adorn all government offices, most shops, car windshields, and hoardings on street corners, it is certainly not the interim Prime Minister, Mr Hamid Karzai.
The real ruler, the face that looks out from everywhere in Kabul, is Ahmad Shah Masood, a dead symbol of resistance against the Soviet Union and later the Taliban.
Never mind that the Tajik commander Masood was murdered two days before the September 11th attacks on the US.
When visitors arrive at Kabul airport, a photograph of Masood that looks down as their visas are stamped, not Mr Karzai. "Karzai does not have any real authority. Power is in the hands of those with guns," said a senior government official. "Masood followers are taking over all the important posts."
He pointed to the the Defence Minister, Mr Mohammad Fahim, the Interior Minister, Mr Yunus Qanuni, and the Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Abdullah, all proteges of Masood and now a trio forming the backbone of the interim government in Kabul. They are minority Tajiks from northern Afghanistan. Mr Karzai is a majority Pashtoon, who are mainly from eastern Afghanistan bordering Pakistan.
Hailed as a "martyr", Masood is often referred to with veneration in official speeches and tribute is paid to him regularly on state radio and TV programmes even though it is run by a royalist minister, nominally a rival of the Masood clique.
In contrast, Mr Karzai, a tribal leader, runs into mainly criticism, or even worse apathy from many Afghans. He has been accused of spending too much time abroad on getting aid since he became interim ruler in December, and of not paying enough attention to his country's problems.
While his English skills and elegant manner play well at the White House and in the capitals of Europe, in the tribal society that is Afghanistan it is the decisive exercise of power that counts. Ten weeks into his rule, ministries barely function, all waiting to receive their share of billions of dollars in foreign aid donated to help the country on its feet.
"Karzai has no programme. He has no ideas as to how to pull the country out of this mess. He seems to be at a loss, even on general issues," said Mr Assad Habibi, an Afghan political analyst. "It is a very volatile situation. It is like a human grenade," he said.