Month: March 2020

Only an Afghan-led peace process can bring peace to Afghanistan

SADF, 18 March 2020 This analysis by two researchers on the South Asia Democratic Forum website relies on various AAN sources.

18 Mar 2020

Child Rights Protection Law in Afghanistan: Can the parliamentary chaos be resolved?

Rohullah Sorush •

Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, has been failing to reach a consensus on a law that would protect children’s rights for almost four years. The legislation is aimed at ensuring children’s rights are implemented in government ministries and bodies in a wide range of areas, from protecting children from abuse and malnutrition to […]

18 Mar 2020

Taleban Prisoners Release: Are the latest proposals legal?

Ehsan Qaane •

President Ashraf Ghani has proposed the sequenced and conditional release of 5,000 Taleban prisoners, in response to the 29 February United States-Taleban agreement which said up to 5,000 Taleban prisoners would be exchanged for up to 1,000 prisoners of ‘the other side’. The Taleban have bluntly rejected this proposal. Nevertheless, the Afghan government is standing by the terms […]

15 Mar 2020

How to keep the coronavirus from hindering the peace process in Afghanistan

Responsible Statecraft, 13 March 2020 An analysis by Prof. Barnett R Rubin, looking at factors such as the release of prisoners, ceasefire and intra-Afghan negotiations. He concludes: The pandemic makes it even more important to end the war. (…) But measures to control the spread of the pandemic could make it even more difficult to […]

13 Mar 2020

We’ve beaten the US and will fight on, vow Taliban

The Times, 13 March 2020 Quotes from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the US-taleban deal, but behind a paywall: “Many Afghans are doubtful that the Americans will stick it out to the end,” Thomas Ruttig, of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said. “One thing is for sure: the …”

13 Mar 2020

Afghanistan: Friedensprozess, Taliban, Truppenabzug

Deutschlandfunk, 12 March 2020 Interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig with the German public broadcaster. Scroll to the date and the title shown above and click to listen to the audio (in German).

12 Mar 2020

“Die politische Krise überschattet die Friedensverhandlungen”

rbb InfoRadio, 10 March 2020 Listen to an interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the rival presidencies in Afghanistan and how they overshadow the planned (and now delayed) peace talks with the Taleban (in German).

10 Mar 2020

Afghanistan: Vereidigung zweier Präsidentschafts-Rivalen

dpa/Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 10 March 2020 The leading German news agency quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the rival presidential oath takings of Ghani and Abdullah as Afghanistan’s president (in German) – reprinted in a number of Swiss, German and Austrian media: Thomas Ruttig von der Kabuler Denkfabrik Afghanistan Analysts Network sagte: „Wir wissen nicht, wie […]

10 Mar 2020

‘Tremendous Uncertainty’ As Competing Presidential Oaths Plunge Afghanistan Deeper Into Crisis

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 9 March 2020 AAN’s Ali Yawar Adili is quoted in this report about Ghani and Abdullah being at loggerheads about who is the winner of the September 2019 election: “The country has entered uncharted waters, and any move could potentially further exacerbate the situation,” said Ali Adili, a researcher at the […]

9 Mar 2020

Afghanistans desolate Politik: Ein Machtkampf, zwei Präsidenten

Tageszeitung, 9 March 2020 Op-ed by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about Ghani’s and Abdullah’s rival presidencies and their repercussions for planned peace talks with the Taleban (in German): Der Machtkampf zeigt aller Welt, dass nach 18 Jahren US-geführter Intervention Afghanistans politisches System nicht funktioniert. Die internationale Gemeinschaft entschied sich mit der Anerkennung des Wahlsiegs Ghanis, erneut […]

9 Mar 2020

Afghanistan: Ein Land, zwei Präsidenten

Süddeutsche Zeitung, 9 March 2020 One of the leading German dailies quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the rival presidencies of Ghani and Abdullah, via dpa and AAN reporting: Der Afghanistan-Experte Thomas Ruttig von der Kabuler Denkfabrik Afghanistan Analysts Network sagte der Nachrichtenagentur dpa hingegen: “Wir wissen nicht, wie die Wahl wirklich ausgegangen ist.” Hätte man […]

9 Mar 2020

Bollywood’s ‘Great Betrayal’ of Afghanistan: “Panipat” and the cost of vilifying Ahmad Shah Durrani

Fabrizio Foschini •

Panipat: The Great Betrayal”, out in Indian cinemas since December 2019, is just the latest in a string of recent Bollywood movies that feature Afghans in the role of arch-villains, in this case Ahmad Shah Durrani, often described as the founder of the modern Afghan state. The historical revisionism and stereotyping of Afghans seen in the film have sparked protests […]

9 Mar 2020