Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: January 2011

Afghanistan’s new parliament and yet another election (updated)

Fabrizio Foschini •

130 days after the parliamentary vote and 64 days after the final results, not to mention a fair deal of wrangling, the new Wolesi Jirga was inaugurated on Wednesday 26 January. The process had been long and full of hurdles and it is still not completely certain that it is over. As late as Saturday […]

Political Landscape Read more

Herat Media Freedom Alarm

admin •

IWPR, 30 January 2011 Journalists in Herat province insist local and foreign officials, both security and civilian, are refusing to cooperate with them, have been ordered by their superiors not to respond to requests for information and comment, hampering their ability to produce balanced reports and restricting freedom of speech.

Recommended Reads Read more

28 January 2011: New AAN paper looks for Afghan insights in theories of conflict resolution

AAN • admin •

AAN’s new discussion paper by Matt Waldman and Thomas Ruttig takes a more theoretical approach to the current debate about reconciliation, often too narrowly described just as ‘talking to the Taleban’. It looks into various theories of conflict resolution and which insights they may offer for a peaceful solution of the Afghan conflict. Despite the […]

Events Read more

Handing over Responsibilities in Afghanistan

Martine van Bijlert •

International actors in Afghanistan have long been torn between negative trends, bleak assessments, ambitious strategies and ritualistic reports of hopeful developments. Their publics at home are uneasy about the lack of clarity on why their forces are in Afghanistan and what exactly they are achieving. Well-informed diplomats and policymakers are often very pessimistic in private, […]

International Engagement Read more

Peace offerings: Theories of conflict resolution and their applicability to Afghanistan

Matt Waldman • Thomas Ruttig •

AAN’s new discussion paper by Matt Waldman and Thomas Ruttig takes a more theoretical approach to the current debate about reconciliation, often too narrowly described just as ‘talking to the Taleban’. It looks into various theories of conflict resolution and which insights they may offer for a peaceful solution of the Afghan conflict. Despite the […]

Special Reports Read more

9 February 2011: AAN in Berlin

AAN • admin •

Thomas Ruttig, a Senior Analyst of AAN, will give two public presentations on Afghanistan’s current political situation in Germany soon, on 18 January in Osnabrück and on 9 February in Berlin. Presentation on 9 February in Berlin, under the title ‘Afghanistan after NATO’s transition decision’ will take place as follows: Time: 10.00 – 12.00 am […]

Events Read more

What comes after the Transition?

Martine van Bijlert •

This evening I will be debating whether the West has failed in Afghanistan. Earlier this week I was asked to comment on Dutch plans to send a police mission to Kunduz. A week ago I spent two days brainstorming on what a sustainable transition in Afghanistan could look like (transition being code for phased exit). […]

International Engagement Read more

27 January 2011: AAN at the Open Forum, Davos 2011

AAN • admin •

Join AAN’s Martine van Bijlert during the Open Forum Davos 2011, in the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, where she will be participating in a public panel discussion on whether the West has failed in Afghanistan. The Open Forum Davos 2011 is organized by the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK) and the World […]

Events Read more

Pakistan’s Godfather of the Taliban [Col. Imam] dies

admin •

Guardian, 23 January 2011 Declan Walsh’s ‘obituary’ for the infamous ‘Colonel Imam’ who was kidnapped in Waziristan in March 2010 by a previously unknown group, the ‘Asian Tigers’, maybe a splinter-group of the Pakistani Taleban and now killed by them.

Recommended Reads Read more

27/29 January 2011, Potsdam: Afghanistan on stage again

AAN • admin •

At the gates of Potsdam – the residential town of Germany’s monarchy abolished in 1918 – lies a little village called Geltow. That’s where the Bundeswehr‘s Operational Command is based. In Potsdam itself, another German theatre production will deal with events in Afghanistan soon: ‘Potsdam-Kundus’ by Clemens Bechtel. Premiere night was on 12 January. Next […]

Events Read more

High Hurdles Race to the Afghan Parliament (updated)

Fabrizio Foschini •

As expected, President Karzai’s announcement of 5-to-12 to delay the Parliament’s inauguration for one month has opened a tough political match. For the last three days, the winning candidates have kept meeting every morning at the Intercontinental hotel. The majority remained committed to proceed with the inauguration on Sunday as well as with their rejection […]

Political Landscape Read more

Former Spy With Agenda Operates a Private C.I.A.

admin •

New York Times, 22 January 2011 Hair-raising story about a former CIA officer who runs his own spy network in Afghanistan and Pakistan called the Eclipse Group, sent agents to collect shaved-off beard-hair on President Karzai in order to prove, through DNA sampling, his drug addiction, feeds the military, Fox News and similar right-wing channels,

Recommended Reads Read more

Subscribe to receive updates from the Afghanistan Analysts Network

Sign up