Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: June 2009

Germans at the Front

Thomas Ruttig •

“It couldn’t have come worse. It is mid-August 2009. American pilots bomb an Afghan village, many women and children die. The target for the attack was provided by the Germans.” [The German parliament is currently in the decision-making process about sending AWACS surveillance planes to Afghanistan.] “Two days later, three German Bundeswehr soldiers publicly brag […]

International Engagement Read more

Imaginary Institutions; State Building in Afghanistan

Martine van Bijlert •

Martine van Bijlert, In: Doing Good or Doing Better? Development Policies in a Globalising World. The Hague: WRR/Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy. June 2009. The paper “Imaginary Institutions; State Building in Afghanistan” is available as chapter 7 here.

External publications Read more

Theatre about conflict – and how we all have to relate to it

Sari Kouvo •

Mid-June, I had the opportunity see the revival performance of a play entitled ‘AH 7808’ that toured most Afghan regional capitals in 2008. The play is an adaptation of an Irish script addressing conflict and each individual’s responsibility to overcome it. Through the play, the audience gets to take part in one man’s struggle to […]

International Engagement Read more

A few thoughts on the UN Human Rights Council and its review of the Afghan government’s periodic report

Sari Kouvo •

On 7 May 2009, the Afghan government presented its first report to the UN Human Rights Council. If I am rightly informed, the Afghan government received around one hundred recommendations that should be discussed, refused or adopted. If adopted, the Afghan government should by the time of the next review show if and how it […]

International Engagement Read more

June 2009: Conference on Governance in Istanbul

AAN • admin •

In late June, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig participated in the conference ‘Fundamentals of Governance in Afghanistan’ organized by The Hollings Center for International Dialogue and the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies (AIAS) in Istanbul (Turkey). A conference report can be found under: Here

Events Read more

Presentation on the Policies Surrounding Senior Subnational Appointments

AAN • admin •

On 10 June 2009 Martine van Bijlert presented the findings of her AREU Briefing Paper on the policies surrounding provincial governor and district administrator appointments. The presentation, which took place at the AREU office in Kabul, was attended by diplomats, policy makers, researchers and Afghan government officials. To learn more about the Afghanistan Research and […]

Events Read more

Teeth, flowers and another tale of violence

Martine van Bijlert •

Every day in Afghanistan is full of stories. Most of them with a fair share of bad luck and wry humour and usually quite a bit of violence. This story is about – let’s call him Hamidullah. Hamidullah comes from a place not far from Kabul. It is commander country. In the past he fought under […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

Presentation on Transitional Justice and Rule of Law

AAN • admin •

On 5 June 2009 Sari Kouvo made a presentation at the Conference ‘Transitional Justice and Rule of Law: Institutional Design and the Changing Normative Structure of Post-Authoritarian Societies’ in Brussels. The presentation, which focused on the link between past and present impunity, will probably be turned into a chapter in one of the upcoming volumes […]

Events Read more

Presentation at EC Conference ‘Making the Difference? Strengthening Capacities to Respond to Crisis and Security Threats’, Brussels.

AAN • admin •

On 3 June 2009 Sari Kouvo participated in the panel discussion ‘Afghanistan at the Crossroads: Military, Civilian and Diplomatic Options’, as part of the European Commission’s conference on international crisis’ responses. The discussion focused on the challenges to state-building in Afghanistan, including the consequences of a compromised election process and the lack of institution-building. Sari […]

Events Read more

AAN In The Media – June 2009

AAN Team •

War or Help for Reconstruction? The Bundeswehr Mission in Afghanistan. WDR 5 (Western German Radio, Cologne area), 25 June 2009 Thomas Ruttig is interviewed about the German involvement in Afghanistan (podcast, in German).

AAN in the Media Read more

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