Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: December 2010

Opvolgers in Uruzgan laten ‘Dutch approach’ varen (Successors in Uruzgan drop ‘Dutch approach’)

admin •

Volkskrant, 30 December 2010 Article (in Dutch) discusses the change in approach after the departure of the Dutch forces – more focus on partnering with the powerful and less interest in tribal balance – and describes how former governor Jan Mohammad receives a hero’s welcome while accompanying the incoming new governor.

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AAN Year-Ender: What we think about 2010 and 2011

Martine van Bijlert •

As the year draws to a close we have asked friends, members and contributors to reflect on the year that lies behind us and on the new year that is about to start. The result is a long and eclectic list of observations, predictions, concerns and hopes. With the very best wishes for Afghanistan in […]

International Engagement Read more

Risky German Development Strategy

Willi Germund •

On Christmas Eve, a German development consultant working on a road-building project was murdered in Kholm (also called Tashkurghan) in Northern Afghanistan. The Taleban claimed responsibility for the murder. The following commentary by Willi Germund, a German free-lance journalist frequently travelling to Afghanistan and Pakistan and also a frequent contributor for AAN, has kicked off […]

International Engagement Read more

Election Stalemate and the Revival of Old Fault Lines (updated)

Martine van Bijlert •

To all those who have lost track of what’s going on with the Afghan Parliamentary elections: don’t feel too bad. It has become very difficult to follow, even for those of us who really try – not just in terms of who is pushing for what and what that may result in, but also in […]

Political Landscape Read more

Flamingo Watching in Dubai

AAN Team •

‘Listen to the birds. That’s where all the music comes from.’ (The first of Captain Beefheart’s 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing) ‘If you can’t listen to them, watch them at least. It gives you some peace of mind after watching the war.’ (AAN Senior Birdwatcher Thomas Ruttig) No, the Emirates are not only megahigh-rises, never-ending […]

Context and Culture Read more

The Hidden War: The stories you missed in 2010 – AfPak edition

admin •

AfPak Channel, 21 December 2010 The Obama plan, Marja, COIN, ‘crazy’ Karzai, drone strikes, Taleban releases, contractors, truth and reconciliation, pakistani aspects – 14 stories, amongst them from 3 AAN Senior Analysts and other prominent writers like Peter Bergen, Anand Gopal, Samina Ahmed etc.

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Reading papers on an airplane (amended)

Thomas Ruttig •

A little press review by an analyst trying to catch up with the news after a few days off: the Obama review, terrorist threats in Europe, Dubai’s well-informed taxi-drivers, the inventors of waterboarding, a not so crazy Afghan project and Germany’s still grotesque discussion about whether that’s a war going on in Afghanistan. Thanks goodness, […]

International Engagement Read more

Plain Turkey by the AfViet Envoy

Kate Clark •

In 1971, a secret history of the Vietnam War was leaked to the American press. One chapter of what became known as the Pentagon Papers, had been written by a young career diplomat called Richard Holbrooke. He of course, would in his final mission, serve as the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan (he died […]

International Engagement Read more

Gains in Kandahar Came with More Brutal U.S. Tactics

admin •

IPS News, 17 December 2010 The acclaimed successes in three districts in Kandahar come at a high price. Gareth Porter pulls together some of the recent reports of the large scale demolishment of houses and fields and how ISAF hopes that this will be ‘connecting government to the people’ when they come and ask for […]

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What comes after remembering? Some thoughts after National Victims Day in Afghanistan

Sari Kouvo •

There are days when Afghanistan’s sadness becomes overwhelming. For us, the Afghan National Victims’ Day was such a day. AAN Senior Analyst Sari Kouvo and Political Researcher Obaid Ali participated in the Afghan National Victims’ Day demonstration and commemoration. Around forty women and men have already gathered when we early Friday morning arrived at Kabul’s […]

War and Peace Read more

Obama’s War Strategy: Stamping out the fire by pouring on gasoline

Kate Clark •

President Obama’s review of the first year of his war strategy in Afghanistan is extraordinarily upbeat. “The momentum achieved by the Taliban in recent years,” it says, “has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in some key areas… The surge… has reduced overall Taleban influence.”(*) For those of us living in Afghanistan, […]

War and Peace Read more

16 December 2010: No Shortcut to Stability

AAN • admin •

An important new report on the linkages between Afghanistan’s insurgency and the lack of justice was released by Chatham House on 16 December. The report ‘No Shortcut to Stability: Justice, Politics and Insurgency in Afghanistan’ by Steve Carter and AAN’s Kate Clark argues that the sidelining of justice by the Afghan government and its international […]

Events Read more

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