FOB Blackhawk - Negotiations in Afghanistan are nuanced and subtle affairs. There is no sense of urgency, no hint of directness.

"Being direct in what we say does not help us," Lt. Col. William Clark told me as we headed into a meeting with Gen. Abdul Razik.

Over the past five months Clark has mastered the art of the nuanced sentence.  In doing so, he has developed a good working relationship with Razik.

It is a relationship that works to the advantage of both men and the forces they command.

Not far from the hard-edged border town of Spin Boldak, Clark, who commands the 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and his soldiers conduct operations from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Blackhawk.

Their mission is to safeguard a major highway and disrupt the movement of Taliban personnel and equipment coming across from neighboring Pakistan.

Leveraging the technology and speed that his Strykers provide, intelligence provided by local villagers and common sense, Clark and his troopers have succeeded in disrupting Taliban activity.

Spin Boldak is probably the safest area in southern Afghanistan.

It is at this juncture that Razik and what he represents becomes important.

He is the leader of a tribal militia and Afghan Border Patrol (ABP) force that extends across Kandahar and Helmand provinces.  Without question, Razik is the most powerful Afghan official in the southern part of the country.

In his mid thirties, Razik is of average size and weight.  On the day I met him, he wore an elegant white cotton shalwar kameez and a black waistcoat.  His black hair was cut very short; his beard neatly groomed.

He smokes cigarettes; he wears an expensive watch; he slurps his chai when he drinks.

He is a busy man.  At times, he had two cell phones in use.

Razik listens carefully, especially when the talk turns to business. When he speaks he leans forward and speaks softly.

His eyes are a dark - and deadly - brown.

Razik is a drug lord.

The Taliban - which despises the use of drugs - have tried on numerous occasions to kill him.  Security around the man is tight.

What's more, Razik has an old score to settle with the Taliban.  During the tumultuous 1990s after the Russians left Afghanistan, the Taliban came to power.  Razik's father and uncle were two of its victims.

Rumors abound about both Razik's bravery and ruthlessness in fighting the Taliban.

There is a story about how some men who attempted to kill Razik were taken out, chained to rocks and then executed with rockets.

In this regard, he is not subtle.

His rise to power began about 10 years ago amidst the well-known and continuing corruption of officials in Kabul and Kandahar.

Early on after 9/11, under resourced NATO commanders and American special forces found Razik's control of Spin Boldak useful in their operations against the Taliban.

Faced with a growing extremist Islamic threat in Kandahar Province in 2006, Canadian Brig. Gen. Jonathan Vance, commander of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in the province reached an accommodation with Razik.

"He runs effective security ops that are designed to make sure that the business end of his life runs smoothly," said the Canadian in a recent Harper's Magazine interview.

Vance used Razik's resources to supplement his 2500-man force in order to contain the Taliban.

By controlling both Kandahar and Helmand provinces - which produce 80 percent of Afghanistan's opium, which consequently accounts for almost 90 percent of the world's supply - Razik has become very wealthy.

Estimates are that he makes between $5 and $6 million per month by running drugs from Pakistan, through Afghanistan and into Iran.

That wealth has allowed him to create a 3500-man border patrol force - almost a brigade - which is fiercely loyal to him.  What's more, Razik has connections to the highest circles of Afghanistan's government.

"He takes very good care of his soldiers and their families," Clark told me.

"They have good equipment and weapons, too."

Clark went on to say that if one of Razik's soldiers is wounded, he receives the best medical care.  If the soldier can no longer serve in Razik's forces, he employs him elsewhere.

"He doesn't kick them to the side."

Clark knows all of this, and as such he has carefully cultivated a relationship with Razik in order for both men to gain what they want.

"We understand each other; we get along," said Clark before a recent meeting.  They meet several times a week.

In the meeting I sat in on, Clark outlined in very general terms the change in mission he would be implementing.  He explained to Razik that his Strykers would be implementing more highway checkpoints on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

Razik listened carefully.

While not opposed to a greater American presence on the border, Razik emphasized that his ABP officers would work with the American forces.

Clark agreed.

Then Razik went on to say he had concerns that Taliban suicide bombers might strike out the checkpoints, and that perhaps the Americans could stand back a bit and let his forces do the work.

Mind you, these are the same checkpoints his drug trade passes through and is dependent upon.

Of concern to Razik is the threat Taliban suicide bombers would pose to his business should they strike the American checkpoints.

"I would not want to see any of your soldiers hurt," said Razik through an interpreter.

What he left unsaid, however, is that if Clark's troops are in a standoff position, not only will they not attract bombers but they also will not interfere with the passage of drugs.

Clark said nothing.

But with his right forefinger, he gently touched Razik's right hand.

The two men continued their discussion for a few more minutes before agreeing to meet again, shook hands and departed.

But the image of the touch lingered with me.

Perhaps it was a gesture of friendship, an indirect way of letting Razik know that his business interests would not be harmed.

Then again, perhaps Clark's touch was a subtle reminder to Razik that the American mission - and the power behind it - at the border takes precedence.

It's all about nuance and subtlety here on the outskirts of Spin Boldak.