Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: January 2014

The End of a Police Chief: Factional rivalries and pre-election power struggles in Kunduz

Lola Cecchinel •

In the beginning, it looked like good news: had Kunduz police chief, Khalil Andarabi, been sacked because he had led Afghan Local Police (ALP) and militia units on a looting rampage against civilians? If this were the case, it would have meant that the bad track record of the Local Police and illegal militias was […]

Political Landscape Read more

For Afghans, Obama’s SOTU message on US troops was loud and clear

Thomas Ruttig •

Stars and Stripes, 29 January 2014 In a report about Afghan reactions to President Obama’s State of the Union address, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted: Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said Obama did not indicate what the consequences might be if Karzai does not sign the agreement. “For me, the most important […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Afghanistan’s gains at risk as it enters period of political uncertainty

AAN Team •

Guardian,  29 January 2014 An article on education in Afghanistan mentions an AAN thematic report, “Despite the absence of a comprehensive deal, a clutch of local agreements have been reached, the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) said in a report last June.”

AAN in the Media Read more

Not a "Tailless Star”: an obituary for leading Afghan intellectual Muhammad Qasim Akhgar

Thomas Ruttig •

On Tuesday night (28 January 2014), with the passing away of Muhammad Qasim Akhgar, Afghanistan lost one of its leading intellectuals. Ustad Akhgar died after a long illness, only 62 years old and he died as he had lived, in more than modest circumstances. An independent leftist, author and human rights activist, who maintained his […]

Context and Culture Read more

Flash from the Past: Long Live Consensus – a look back at the 2003 Constitutional Loya Jirga

Thomas Ruttig •

It is ten years since Afghanistan got its new constitution. It had been debated over 22 days by the 502 delegates to a specially convened Constitutional Loya Jirga (CLJ). Hailed as one of the most progressive constitutions in the region, it was also called a “juggle of the Quran and democracy” (The New York Times). The […]

Political Landscape Read more

MP, Victims Call Report On Ghorband Casualties False

AAN •

Tolonews, 27 January 2014. A Parwan MP and family members of the civilians killed two weeks ago during a confrontation between Taliban insurgents and coalition and Afghan forces in Ghorband District have called into question the accuracy of the recent report submitted to President Hamid Karzai on the incident.  

Recommended Reads Read more

Afghan President Karzai takes political risks with US security pact

Thomas Ruttig •

ABC (Radio Australia), 27 January 2014 Afghan President Hamid Karzai appears to have stiffened his resolve not to sign a security agreement with the United States, saying he won’t do so unless the Taliban can be persuaded to begin peace talks. But is the Afghan leader pushing his luck? — Listen to an audio which included […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Half of Afghan children suffer irreversible harm from malnutrition

AAN •

The Guardian, 26 January 2014 Emma Graham-Harrison, reporting from Samangan, point to the often neglected social side of events in Afghanistan: "More than half of Afghan girls and boys suffer damage to their minds and bodies that cannot be undone because they are poorly nourished in the crucial first two years of life", acoording to […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Cards on the Table: Transparency and post-2014 Afghan aid

Thomas Ruttig •

The joint Afghan-international strategy for 2015 to 2024, the so-called transition period, is based on the assumption that the security situation in the country is conducive to continuing large-scale development programmes. Recently released figures, however, indicate that the instability has not diminished, with a negative impact on access for those who implement, monitor and use […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

To Salvage What we can From Afghanistan, Our Leaders Must Admit that the War has Failed

AAN Team •

The Daily Beast, 24 January 2013 “As America ploughs through its 13th year of war in Afghanistan and negotiates with Kabul to keeps troops there for another ten years, we must take a sober look at the military and diplomatic actions that have thus far characterized our involvement” write Lt Col. Daniel L. Davis, and concludes […]

AAN in the Media Read more

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