Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: September 2014

Major Tests Await Afghan Power-Sharing Deal

Thomas Ruttig

RFE/RL’s Gandhara blog, 22 September 2014 A quote from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig with a mix of measured optimism and pessimism on the GNU deal: Former European diplomat and current head of the Afghanistan Analysts Network Thomas Ruttig says the deal is a good omen for Afghanistan, but the way it was concluded undermines the democratic […]

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Afghan power sharing deal gets off to a shaky start

AAN

Financial Times, 22 September 2014 In an article looking at the government of national unity deal, AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted: “In Afghanistan, positions are often considered as ‘spoils’ and a means of rewarding supporters; patronage underpins power and authority,” noted Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analysts Network think-tank

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CEO, Afghanistan! Is this a ‘real country or just acting like one’?

Martine van Bijlert

Rashmee.com, 22 September 2014 Blogger quotes a tweet by AAN’s Martine van Bijlert in response to the signing of the national unity government deal: “Unsurprisingly, Martine van Bijlert @mvbijlert, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, tweeted despairingly (see screenshot) soon after the deal was signed: “And now there is a result, the country will need […]

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Doubts and distrust over Afghan power deal

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Zee News, 22 September 2014 In this article on the  election result, power-sharing deal and the national unity government in Afghanistan, AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted: “We do not know if a government of national unity was merited by what happened at the polls,” analyst Kate Clark said in a briefing paper on Monday for the […]

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Ein Deal mit Makeln

AAN

Wiener Zeitung, 22 September 2014 The German-language article in the Vienna-based newspaper picks up Kate Clark’s AAN analysis of the Afghan election outcome: “Durch das Abkommen muss die neue Administration mehr Arbeit schultern, als die Kontrahenten sich zu Beginn ihres Antretens vorstellen konnten”, heißt es in einer Analyse des “Afghanistan Analysts Network”. Im günstigsten Fall […]

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Wahldrama in Afghanistan zu Ende: Ghani gewählt, Regierung besiegelt

AAN

ARD, 21 September 2014 The report of German state broadcaster on its main news show Tagesschau about the election outcome also quotes AAN’s Kate Clark (in German): “Wir reden über Afghanistan immer als Land nach einem Konflikt. Aber das stimmt nicht. In Afghanistan tobt ein bewaffneter Aufstand. In der Regierung und in der Opposition finden […]

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Afghanistan: Wahlkommission erklärt Ghani zum Präsidenten

AAN

Tagesspiegel, 21 September 2014 In this article (in German) announcing the ‘outcome’ of the Afghan presidential election, the Berlin-based daily  quotes a recent AAN dispatch authored by Lola Cecchinel about the security context of the electional aftermath, on increasing numbers of fighters coming in from Pakistan and for Taleban territorial gains in Kunduz province.

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The ‘National Unity Government’ (NUG) deal (full text)

AAN

As emailed to journalists by the US Embassy on 21 September 2014; articles of the constitution cited in the agreement are given after the text (added by AAN) Agreement between the Two Campaign Teams Regarding the Structure of the National Unity Government This period in Afghanistan’s history requires a legitimate and functioning government committed to […]

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Elections 2014 (51): Finally, a deal, but not yet democracy

Kate Clark

After more than three months of audits and behind-the-scenes negotiation, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah signed a deal today to set up a government of national unity. The election ‘result’ was announced a couple of hours later, but the Independent Election Commission (IEC) declined to give any figures. It had been clear, all along, that […]

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Hängepartie in Kabul: Beim Streit um das Präsidentschaftsvotum geht es um die Demokratie in Afghanistan

Thomas Ruttig

Neues Deutschland, 19 September 2014 Thomas Ruttig’s full guest article (in German) analyses the situation on the eve of the proclamation of the Afghan presidential election result, including the (then still pending) agreement on a “government of national unity”, saying that experience from other countries shows that such ‘grand coalitions’ often lead to political stagnation […]

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Afghan power-sharing accord held up by last-minute wrangle over election results

AAN

Stars and Stripes, 18 September 2014 In this article about the pre-election result announcements positioning, AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted: “Kate Clark, a researcher with the Afghan [sic] Analysts Network, said the two camps were literally wrangling over the percentages of the election’s final results.”

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Portraits of Ghani and Abdullah. Photo c/o Tolonews.

Elections 2014 (50): Experience with ‘governments of national unity’ elsewhere

Thomas Ruttig

In hindsight, it is difficult to find out who first had the idea of Afghanistan having a ‘government of national unity’ (GNU) as the way out of the Afghan electoral deadlock. Currently, however, it is promoted by almost all the international players and, at least in words – an agreement how to implement it is […]

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