Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: December 2009

BERNT GLATZER PASSED AWAY

Thomas Ruttig •

With great shock and deep sadness, we have learnt about the sudden demise of our valued colleague and good friend Dr Bernt Glatzer, member of the AAN Advisory Board, in the night to 08 December at his home in Schriesheim, Germany, only a few days before his 67th birthday. There are not many amongst our […]

International Engagement Read more

Restaurierung der Altstadt von Herat: Wettlauf mit der Zeit (Race against Time: The Restauration of Herat’s Old City)

admin •

al-qantara website, 12 December 2009 Britta Petersen’s reportage about the gems of an ancient cultural capital (in German).

Recommended Reads Read more

Parliament getting ready for the new Cabinet

Martine van Bijlert •

Several weeks have passed since the President’s inauguration on 19 November and the waiting is now for the announcement of the new Cabinet – an event that as usual has been imminent for quite a while. The Parliament has delayed its recess, which was to begin on 6 December, so that it can vote on […]

Political Landscape Read more

Finishing the unfinished election (2): Panjshir and Kapisa

Martine van Bijlert •

Not all provinces show signs of a very uneven rate of disqualification between the presidential en provincial council elections, like we saw in Helmand Khost or Farah. Take for instance Panjshir. In Panjshir the number of votes excluded in the presidential and provincial council elections were more or less comparable: 4,750 out of 44,850 votes […]

Political Landscape Read more

Finishing the unfinished election (1): Helmand, Khost and Farah

Martine van Bijlert •

As the final provincial council results are being finally and gradually released, an early analysis of the figures shows that the fraud in the provincial council election has, unsurpisingly, been largely left untouched. The IEC audit that disqualified over a million votes focused solely on the presidential election and the need to arrive at some […]

Political Landscape Read more

Afghanistan’s democrats; from underground to marginalisation (MEI paper repost)

Thomas Ruttig •

This is the second repost of an AAN contribution (without the footnotes) to the Middle East Institute’s recent publication “Afghanistan 1979-2009. In the Grip of Conflict”. Thomas Ruttig was one of the 53 experts who contributed essays on Afghanistan’s much conflicted recent history. In the spring of 2000 some 25 Afghan women and men secretly […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

Money can’t buy America love

Andrew Wilder •

Foreign Policy, 1 December 2009 AAN member Andrew Wilder presents the initial findings of a Tufts research on the linkages between aid and security. The full article is available below: Money can’t buy America love

External publications Read more

Small stories from the province (1): A very high-ranking dog

Martine van Bijlert •

“Did you hear about the Australian dog that was lost?” We had been discussing everything from the latest tribal gossip to the final announcement of the provincial council and the recent local appointments. And now, as we are packing up to go, there was apparently still a story of a dog. I had noticed the reports in […]

Context and Culture Read more

MEI paper repost: How to respond to a flawed election

Martine van Bijlert •

The Middle East Institute released its ‘Viewpoints’ special edition on Afghanistan yesterday. It contains 53 short essays by leading experts and practicioners on Afghanistan’s recent history, including several AAN members. The paper below is a repost of Martine van Bijlert’s contribution (without the footnotes). Afghanistan’s Second Presidential Vote; How to Respond to a Flawed Election […]

Political Landscape Read more

Afghanistan’s Democrats: From underground into marginalisation

Thomas Ruttig •

Thomas Ruttig, In: Afghanistan 1979-2009: In the Grip of Conflict (e-book), Middle East Institute, Washington, December 2009. Full publication available below: Afghanistan’s Democrats: From underground into marginalisation

External publications Read more

The master of Spin Boldak

admin •

Harper’s Magazine, December 2009 Matthieu Aikins’ undercover reportage ‘with Afghanistan’s drug-trafficking border police’ commander Abdul Raziq – an exemplaric story

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NDS detention – not just a Canadian problem

Martine van Bijlert •

Former diplomat to Kabul, Richard Colvin, caused quite a stir in Canadian politics with his testimony to a parliamentary committee on the Afghan mission on 18 November 2009. Colvin described how he repeatedly alerted his superiors to the fact that prisoners handed over to the NDS (National Directorate of Security) were likely to face torture […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

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