Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: January 2019

Afghan government control and troop numbers at record lows, report says

Thomas Ruttig •

Stars and Stripes, 31 January 2019 In this article about the latest SIGAR figures on the relation of government and Taleban territorial control, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted as saying: Despite the most recent data, Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, did not believe the security situation was near a tipping point. But, […]

AAN in the Media Read more

AAN obituary: Ludwig Adamec, the Afghanistan Encyclopedian (1924-2019)

Thomas Ruttig •

Professor Ludwig W Adamec was the author of “The Who is Who of Afghanistan” – a book every student of Afghanistan will have encountered early in her or his career. Printed in 1975, and updated several times since then, it is nothing less than one of the standard works of Afghan studies. AAN’s Thomas Ruttig […]

Context and Culture Read more

På vei til å vinne krigen

Thomas Ruttig •

Klassekampen, 29 January 2019 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig quoted extensively in Norwegian daily, together Kristian Harpviken, saying: Thomas Ruttig, forsker og ved i forskningsorganisasjonen Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) sier til Klassekampen at han ikke er optimistisk, nettopp fordi Kabul-regjeringen har uttrykt motstand mot forhandlinger om regjeringens sammensetning. – Det er bra at Taliban deltar i samtaler […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Afghanistan : premier pas vers un accord de paix

Thomas Ruttig •

Le Figaro, 29 January 2019 A quote by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig for the French daily, warning that the Taleban do not share ideas of an election- and one-person-one-vote based democratic system (behind a pay wall): Les talibans admettent qu’ils ne sont pas la seule force politique en présence. Dans leurs discours, ils affirment être prêts […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Der afghanische Präsident Aschraf Ghani ruft die Taliban zu Friedensgesprächen auf

Thomas Ruttig •

SRF4, 29 January 2019 Listen to the audio (in German) of a Swiss Radio interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig, discussing the US-Taleban talks in Doha and the Afghan president Ghani’s reaction to it. Starts at 4:26 min under the (different) headline (“Anti-Korruptions-Index: Die Schweiz steht im Ranking gut da”). Also a number of quotes in […]

AAN in the Media Read more

US-Deal mit Taliban: Afghanische Regierung in Zuschauerrolle

Thomas Ruttig •

ORF, 28 January 2019 In this background article on Austrian TV’s website, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted as saying that the framework agreed upon by the US and the Taleban in Doha was “only the first step on a long way” but that it is essential to involve the third party to the conflict, the […]

AAN in the Media Read more
An Afghan women voter after casting her vote at polling centre in Daikundi. Photo: Ehsan Qaane, 2018.

The 2018 Election Observed (7) in Daikundi: The outstanding role of women

Ehsan Qaane •

Like other provinces, the 2018 parliamentary election in Daikundi faced some technical, logistical and security challenges, but compared to other places these problems were limited. As a result, both the process and the outcome of the election have been largely uncontested. Women participation, both during voter registration and polling, was high: more women registered and […]

Political Landscape Read more

Shuffling deckhands: Afghanistan prepares to vote for the same old faces

Thomas Ruttig •

The Economist, 24 January 2019 In an article looking at the candidates’ constellation for Afghanistan’s July 2019 presidential election, the weekly quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig as saying: “I do not see any clear newcomer those who want real change can connect with,” says Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a research group. (You might […]

AAN in the Media Read more
The IEC members appear in a public meeting on 20 January to announce the final results of the October 2018 parliamentary elections for nine provinces. After more than three months, the IEC is still struggling to wrap up the results of last year’s elections, while it now needs to get ready to prepare for the presidential election, and three other votes, on 20 July 2019. Photo: IEC website

Afghanistan’s 2019 elections (1): The countdown to the presidential election has kicked off

Ali Yawar Adili •

Afghanistan has just concluded its candidate nomination period for the presidential election, which has been moved from the initial date, 20 April, to 20 July 2019. The election will now involve four votes at the same time: provincial elections, district council elections, parliamentary elections in Ghazni province, and the presidential poll. With this, the country […]

Political Landscape Read more
One of two cars the family said the Khost Protection Force burned during their attack.

Khost Protection Force Accused of Fresh Killings: Six men shot dead in Zurmat

Kate Clark •

There has been a fresh attack on civilians by armed men whom the victims’ family and the Paktia provincial governor’s spokesman have said were from the Khost Protection Force, an irregular militia supported by the CIA. A survivor of the attack carried out in Surkai village in Zurmat district, in Paktia province, described to AAN […]

War and Peace Read more

The Afghan Territorial Force: Learning from the lessons of the past?

Kate Clark •

A new local defence force is being mobilised in Afghanistan. The establishment of the Afghan National Army Territorial Force was announced by President Ashraf Ghani in April 2018. Careful consideration has gone into its design, with safeguards built in to try to avoid the pitfalls associated with previous locally-recruited forces, such as the Afghan Local […]

War and Peace Read more

Subscribe to receive updates from the Afghanistan Analysts Network

Sign up