Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: January 2014

A Mutual Interdependency? The BSA and why the US still wants it

Gary Owen •

Early in December 2013, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, made it clear that if the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between the governments of Afghanistan and the United States was not signed by the end of the 2013, there would be no more American troops in Afghanistan in 2015. […]

International Engagement Read more

I worked on the US drone program. The public should know what really goes on

AAN •

Guardian Weekly, 3-9 January 2014 A commentary with a self-explanatory headline by a former imegary analysts with the US air force. She writes: "The US and British militaries insist that this is an expert program, but it's curious that they feel the need to deliver faulty information, few or no statistics about civilian deaths and twisted technology reports on the […]

Recommended Reads Read more

In memory of Dr Victor G. Korgun

Ekaterina Stepanova •

When it comes to expertise on Afghanistan, not many look east. Those who did will have discovered Russian Viktor Korgun who, as we were sad to learn today, has passed away in Moscow. He was also respected in Afghanistan as shown by the invitation – as one of only few foreign experts – to a scientific conference […]

Context and Culture Read more

Afghanistan: Sicherheitslücke

Thomas Ruttig •

Tagesspiegel (Berlin, online), 7 January 2014 Reporting that the German ISAF forces had stopped reporting the number of insurgent attacks in northern Afghanistan, the Berlin-based daily asked AAN’s Thomas Ruttig for his assessment. Saying that the argument the Afghan forces were in the lead now and needed to take over the reporting sounded like a pretext. “ISAF […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Optimism at Security Transition in [Zabul]

AAN •

IWPR, 8 January 2014 A rare report from the southern province of Zabul, presenting some optimism, mainly expressed by government officials of provincial council members. The local population apparently was more concerned about US night raids then about the Taleban, and everyone seems to be happy to have national forces in the lead now. The […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Innocent, guilty – useful? What’s behind the US-Afghan clash over 88 prisoners from Bagram

AAN Guests • AAN Team •

The Afghan government announced yesterday (7 January) that it would go ahead with the release of 88 Taleban prisoners from Bagram despite US objections. American politicians, including two senior US senators who visited Kabul in early January, have warned of further damage to US-Afghan bilateral relations if the prisoner release goes forward. The issue has […]

War and Peace Read more

Afghanistan After America: Series Introduction

Thomas Ruttig •

World Politics Review, 8 January 2014 WPR introduces a seven-part series “examining conditions in the last year of U.S. military operations there” (at least, under ISAF) and quotes and links to AAN’s Thomas Ruttig’s year-ender on AAN. “The Pentagon has assessed that ANSF casualties were up 62 percent in 2013 over the same period in 2012. Afghan civilian […]

AAN in the Media Read more

German Defense Ministry closes files on Afghan ‘security incidents’

Thomas Ruttig •

Deutsche Welle, 8 January 2014 Reporting that the German Bundeswehr (actually ISAF in general) does not give data about insurgent activity anymore, the website of German international radio quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig commenting: “For Thomas Ruttig, who co-directs the independent Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), there’s also a political calculation behind the decision to no longer […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Auftrag und Verantwortung? Die afghanische Lektion

Thomas Ruttig •

HR2 (German radio), 7 January 2014 Listen to an hour-long special (in German) on Afghanistan, featuring women activists, a former Afghan Bundeswehr employee, the band Kabul Dreams and AAN’s Thomas Ruttig.

AAN in the Media Read more

Will Afghan Polling Data Help Alleviate Election Fraud?

AAN Team •

NPR, 6 January 2014 In an article discussing the reliability of the US Embassy in Kabul’s commissioning of a series of polls to see who Afghans favour in the April election, AAN’s Christine Roehrs is quoted as saying that even if the polling is sound, there’s still the potential for a huge disparity between the polling data and the […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Armed, disarmed, rearmed: How Nahr-e Seraj in Helmand became one of the deadliest districts in Afghanistan

Deedee Derksen •

On a visit to Helmand in mid-December, UK Prime Minister David Cameron stated that when British troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of next year, they will have accomplished their main aim – leaving behind a basic level of security. But a new report by the Pentagon (1) tells a different story. On its […]

War and Peace Read more

Afghanistan vor den Präsidentschaftswahlen. Und vor islamistischer Welle?

Thomas Ruttig •

Das Blättchen (Berlin), 6 January 2014 The political online biweekly publishes an article (in German) by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the upcoming Afghan elections and Afghan islamists of all kinds strengthening their positions in the country.

AAN in the Media Read more

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