Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: September 2010

2010 Elections 17: A tense electoral run in Takhar

Fabrizio Foschini •

The first, very partial election results in Takhar have appeared on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) website. This offers the opportunity to go back to notes taken on a field trip over election-day, and present them along with our perceptions of the situation in the province. By AAN researchers Fabrizio Foschini and Obaidullah Ali. The […]

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How to write about Pakistan

admin •

Granta magazin, 28 September 2010 Four Pakistani writers say how. From one proposal: 1. Must have mangoes. […] 8. Characters originating in rural areas must fight to prove that their mango is bigger than yours. See what is in between 1) and 8) and what comes after.

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Warlords’ Peace Council

Martine van Bijlert •

After a series of announcements that the members of the High Peace Council would soon be announced, and a considerable delay reportedly about who should chair the council – a question that is still open – the names of 68 members were finally released today (with apparently two more still to be added). Looking at […]

War and Peace Read more

General Petraeus about Taleban contacts (updated)

Thomas Ruttig •

Reconciliation – a.k.a. talking to the Taleban – is a hot issue. Anything new is picked up quickly by the media world-wide, in particular when it comes from someone with a political weight like Gen. Petraeus. But please also read the small print. So, here is what Gen. Petraeus said: ‘There are very high-level Taliban […]

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2010 Election 16: Will women win both Nimruz seats?

Martine van Bijlert •

It is interesting to see how candidates narrow down the local parliamentary elections to a competition between a limited number of rivals. The women in many provinces have their own competition, vying mainly for the seats reserved for female candidates. Their complaints thus tend to focus on their immediate female rivals, disregarding the fraud that […]

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Empire Going Mad

Thomas Ruttig •

The current US clue- and helplessness in Afghanistan, with its strategy that no one knows whether it will work and with no Plan B, is definitely crying out for some ‘out of the box’ thinking. But the ideas which have started to appear on various websites reminds one of the mad Dr. Strangelove, who learned […]

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Kandahar diary: Caught up in the battle

admin •

BBC News, 26 September 2010 A development worker in Kandahar city vividly describes the challenges of daily life; the killings, the displacement, the operations, and the elusiveness of peace.

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2010 Elections 15: What a Kunar Candidate Complains About

Martine van Bijlert •

These days are filled with stories of electoral fraud and irregularities, copies of complaints forms, grainy videos, and the wait for some solid results to be posted on the IEC website. Some reports are more detailed than others and some are so detailed and illustrative that they are worth repeating. The following is a report […]

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2010 Elections 14: Voices from Paktia

Thomas Ruttig •

Amongst high official turnout figures, the first results being announced and reports of irregularities coming in from all corners of Southeast Afghanistan, it is also perception which counts. Here some voices from Paktia, some with an own interest to be elected, other from an impartial position. ‘This was not an election, but a selection.’ Two […]

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2010 Elections 13: A ‘Taleban Election Campaign’?

Thomas Ruttig •

There have been statements and speculations recently about a possible involvement of the Taleban in the recent Afghan parliamentary elections, directly or indirectly. So, let’s summarize what we have about this and see whether there was possibly was a ‘Taleban elections strategy’. On 13 September, the UN Special Rep in Kabul Staffan de Mistura said […]

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Afghan Equality and Law, but With Strings Attached

admin •

New York Times, 24 September 2010 Even small, innocent-looking projects – as this one by USAID to distribute kites on ‘Peace Day’ amongst Kabul children can go wrong, in this case the kites been hijacked by local police. In contrast, see the Reuters report ‘U.S. project flies democracy message on Afghan kite’ on the same […]

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2010 Elections 12: Behind the complaints

Martine van Bijlert •

Candidates, candidate supporters and observers are awaiting the posting of the preliminary results, to see what has been made of the messiness that surrounded much of the polling. The first partial result was released on 23 September 2010 – Panjshir with 66.7% of the vote counted – but the results per polling stations are still […]

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