Month: August 2021

A New Breed of Crisis: War and Warming Collide in Afghanistan

The New York Times, 30 August 2021 Another often overlooked major aspect of Afghanistan’s comply crises, highly timely while almost everyone looks at the the Taleban takeover.

30 Aug 2021

Commentary: The True Cost Of Cutting Funding To Afghanistan

Gandhara, 30 August 2021 Opinion piece by AAN member and former had of the Swedish Afghanistan Committee, Anders Fänge, arguing that the IMF, World Bank and US freezing/blocking of Afghan currency reserves and other financial means as well as some government’s halt of development assistance to Afghanistan  was “a recipe for disaster”, particularly for Afghanistan’s […]

30 Aug 2021

Afghan activist says Ashraf Ghani and Joe Biden caused misery and chaos

Deutsche Welle, 27 August 2021 Interview with ex-head of Afghan Red Crescent and Doha negotiator Fatema Gailani at the German international public broadcaster.

27 Aug 2021

After Airport Bombing, an Afghan Family Buries a Father, and Hope

New York Times, 27 August 2021 A heart-breaking reportage by Matt Aikins.

27 Aug 2021

A Week Into Taliban Rule, One City’s Glimpse of What the Future May Hold

New York Times, 15 August 2021 The first detailed report about day-to-day life and Taleban attempts to govern and re-install public services from a province outside of Kabul under their control, Kunduz.

26 Aug 2021

Backing the UN can help Afghans facing a tough winter

Chatham House, 26 August 2021 … the international community must come together behind the United Nations (UN) to engage with the new administration in Kabul. The priority tasks to focus on are releasing frozen assets, mobilizing humanitarian assistance, refocusing the UN presence in the country, and setting ground rules for future collaboration in all sectors […]

26 Aug 2021

How exile changed the Taliban

Financial Times, 25 August 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted here on the controversial issue whether the Taleban have changed or not: Thomas Ruttig, a founder of the Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network, said the Taliban had always been a “learning organisation” well aware of its past failures. Some former officials of the Taliban’s 1990s government […]

25 Aug 2021

Fears loom over Afghanistan’s internet

Politico, 25 August 2021 This article looks at the risk of Afghans losing access to the internet, parallel to the decline of independent ‘traditional’ media.

25 Aug 2021

UN Human Rights Council to talk about Afghanistan: Why so little appetite for action?

Rachel Reid • Ehsan Qaane •

The United Nation’s Human Rights Council is holding a Special Session on Tuesday (24 August) to discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan – both past and present. The resolution they will be considering has been drafted by Pakistan, the Taleban’s main international backer. Pakistan is currently the human rights coordinator of the Organisation of […]

23 Aug 2021

The Taleban’s rise to power: As the US prepared for peace, the Taleban prepared for war

Kate Clark •

It seems likely that the twentieth anniversary of the al-Qaeda’s 2001 attacks on the United States – the event that brought the American military to Afghanistan – will be remembered for the start of the second Taleban emirate. After President Joe Biden announced the full, rapid and unconditional withdrawal of all international military forces from […]

21 Aug 2021

An Afghan NGO is determined to educate girls despite Taliban’s return

The Week, 20 August 2021 Interview with Matiullah Wesa, founder of Pen Path.

20 Aug 2021

The Taleban leadership converges on Kabul as remnants of the republic reposition themselves

Martine van Bijlert •

The various Taleban leaders have started converging on Kabul. The ever-elusive but eminently reachable, Taleban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahed showed his face for the first time in a press conference at Kabul’s media centre. What he said matched earlier messaging by the Taleban, as he sought to assure both the Afghans and the international community of […]

19 Aug 2021