Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: May 2014

A little Hundred Years’ War [in Nuristan]

AAN •

The Economist, 22 May 2014 The tale about two tribes in Nuristan who feuded since a hundred years, and finally made peace, after turning to the Afghan government for help.

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Observers predict fierce campaigns as Afghan runoff ballot gets started

AAN •

Stars and Stripes, 22 May 2014 AAN’s Martine van Bijlert with a preview on what could become problematic in the second round of Afghanistan’s presidential elections: Both Abdullah and Ghani had hoped to win an outright majority in the first round to avoid a run-off, but their main focus was on at least qualifying for […]

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Elections 2014 (22): How disenchantment with General Dostum split the Uzbek vote bank

Obaid Ali • Thomas Ruttig •

The outcome in the Uzbek- and Turkmen-dominated provinces in northern Afghanistan of the first round of the 5 April presidential election has turned in an unexpected direction. Jombesh-e Melli-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan’s (The National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), the self-declared dominating party in this region, had expected to obtain the entire ‘Turkic’ vote for the Ghani-Dostum […]

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Philippines, Afghanistan feeling seasick after AFC Challenge Cup draw

AAN •

The National (UAE), 21 May 2014 The title says it all: interesting read for football fans. A disappointing draw for the Afghan team, under normal circumstances, but well done for a landlocked taam. We also learned that former Bundesliag coach Erich Rutemöller (formerly of 1 FC Cologne, Hansa Rostock, the Iranian national team, Esteqlal Tehran and the […]

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Afghanistan’s government split as Karzai suspends special forces chiefs

AAN •

The Guardian, 21 May 2014 President Karzai “has suspended the three police special forces commanders responsible for securing the capital during crucial presidential elections, and plans to try them in a court martial for making illegal detentions and desecrating a mosque”, the British newspaper reports. “The three men have also been accused of collaborating with US […]

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Ontwikkeling: Het budget smelt, vragen bij impact

Thomas Ruttig •

Mondiaal Nieuws, 20 May 2014 The Belgian news website quotes from a recent AAN paper by Thomas Ruttig in an article about the ongoing discussion about development cooperation in Belgium: “Thomas Ruttig, [co-]directeur van het Afghanistan Academics Netwerk, citeert daarover in een recente MO* paper [which in fact is the translation of an AAN paper] een rapport van […]

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Despite Risks, Faith Endures in Traditional Afghan Cures

AAN •

IWPR, 19 May 2014 In remote villages of southeastern Afghanistan where people have no access to health centres, so-called village doctors, barbers and traditional bonesetters still perform services from circumcisions to tooth extractions or resetting dislocated limbs. According to modern doctors, hundreds of people die from such practices every year across Afghanistan.

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Post-2014 Central Asia And Afghanistan

AAN •

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 19 May 2014 Interesting round table discussion of RFE/RL’s Qishloq Avazi blog, bringing together Alex Cooley from Columbia University, author of “Base Politics: Democratic Change and the U.S. Military Overseas” and “Great Games, Local Rules: The New Great Power Contest in Central Asia”; Artyom Ulunyan, head of the Balkan, Caucasus and Central […]

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A New Dawn for Afghanistan?

AAN •

The Diplomat, 19 May 2014 In an article looking at the mood in Afghanistan during election time, the author quotes AAN’s Martine van Bijlert: “I think what has happened in Afghanistan is remarkable but it fundamentally does not address the problems facing the country. You have to wait and see what happens when the whole […]

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2014 Elections (21): A closer look at the IECC’s performance and the challenges it faced

Qayoom Suroush •

For the first time since elections were held in post-Taleban Afghanistan, the country’s Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) has held a series of open sessions addressing electoral complaints. The concept was, in principle, welcomed by independent observers, candidates’ agents and civil society, but the process itself was often confused and rushed and sometimes overly bureaucratic. […]

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2014 Elections (20): The Ashraf Ghani interview

Kate Clark •

In the second of AAN’s interviews with the two remaining Afghan presidential candidates, Ashraf Ghani has challenged his rival, Dr Abdullah, to televised debates – after Abdullah told AAN he did not want any debates this time. Ghani also dared Abdullah’s running mate, the Hazara politician, Muhammad Muhaqeq, to discuss publically with him who has […]

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Afghanistan muss in die Stichwahl Ring frei für Runde Zwei

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung (Berlin), 16 May 2014 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig summarises the outcome of the first round of voting in p Afghanistan’s presidential elections, pointing out that voters have started to not vote along ‘traditional’ ethnic patterns and that further surprises can be expcted in round 2.

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