Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: April 2013

Pre-Electoral Consultations: the palace is looking for a new IEC head

Martine van Bijlert •

On 9 April 2013 the President called a broad consultative meeting to discuss the selection of a new IEC chairman. The tumultuous term of the current head, Fazl Ahmad Manawi, ends this coming week. The main opposition representatives publicly declined the invitation, terming the meeting illegal, while others – including the generally pro-Karzai jihadi leaders […]

Political Landscape Read more

Summoning the Ministers: parliament damages its own image

Thomas Ruttig • Gran Hewad •

At a time when President Karzai’s last turn in office is getting closer to its end, the Afghan parliament has been turning up the pressure on the cabinet. It was not the first time MPs had summoned ministers to answer inquiries about their performance, with the threat of voting them out of office. This time, […]

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Is the Taleban Insurgency a Holy or an Unholy War? An Afghan-Pakistani ulema debate

Borhan Osman •

The Pakistani ulema were never particularly vocal supporters of the current Taleban’s insurgency in Afghanistan until the Afghan government approached them to talk about peace. Or at least their support had not been expressed publicly before. Then one Pakistani mulla, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, made such controversial remarks about suicide […]

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11 April 2013, Copenhagen: Conference ‘Afghanistan Towards 2014′ with AAN participation

AAN Team •

The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in partnership with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organising a one-day conference with the title ‘Afghanistan Towards 2014 ─ Prospects for Development, Security and a National Political Settlement’ on 11 April 2013 in the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen. Apart from other prominent participants – among them […]

Events Read more

Security at the Fringes: the case of Shujai in Khas Uruzgan

Martine van Bijlert •

The build-up of the formal Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is one of the main pillars of the transition strategy. However, in practice many security responsibilities are, and will continue to be, held by a myriad of hybrid and auxiliary forces that often operate under unclear lines of authority. Observers and media have been describing […]

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The Qatar Office Conundrum: Karzai’s quest for control over Taleban talks

Thomas Ruttig •

During President Karzai’s recent visit to Qatar, discussions about a possible Taleban office were high on the agenda, and the visit had been charged with expectations in advance. Surprisingly, not much has been officially publicised about its outcome after the president returned home. AAN’s Senior Analyst Thomas Ruttig tries to make sense of the trip […]

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Elections or National Consensus: Which one wins?

Gran Hewad •

The complexity of Afghanistan’s political spectrum and the traditionally overwhelming desire of Afghan leaders to keep power are major elements that have an effect on whether the political transition process – which continues simultaneous with the transition of security responsibilities – will be democratic. The ballot stuffing in the 2009 presidential and 2010 parliamentarian elections […]

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The Morphing of the Andar Uprising: Transition to Afghan Local Police

Emal Habib •

The much-publicised anti-Taleban ‘uprising’ in Ghazni’ s Andar district is almost one year old, yet no side has managed to consolidate its control over the area. Violence has not let up during the last 12 months and the year ahead looks set to be just as bloody. Our author, Emal Habib, has been closely following […]

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