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Merry Christmas!

Here at AAN, we’d like to wish all our readers a Happy Christmas! May your holidays, in Afghanistan as well as abroad, be peaceful.   For those who remain in Kabul and wish to celebrate in style, AAN made a trip to Flower Street in Shar-e Naw to check on the availability of Christmas glitter and […]

24 Dec 2013 AAN Team • Context and Culture

Not a Promising Start: The vetting of the presidential and provincial council candidates

Buried in a pre-election assessment report by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) are concerns about the transparency with which presidential and provincial council candidates have been vetted. Peter Manikas, NDI’s Asia director, said at a press conference earlier this month that they were concerned that “a number of people who should have been eligible candidates […]

22 Dec 2013 Gran Hewad • Kate Clark • Political Landscape

Autumn Pastimes, or the Other Fighting Grounds of Afghanistan

Bird fighting has an ancient history as a common autumn pastime among Afghans. As soon as the weather gets colder, various tournaments take place among bird enthusiasts, either in the open air or in a warm arena, depending on what sort of birds are fighting. In Kabul, the favourite birds to take the field are […]

19 Dec 2013 Obaid Ali • Context and Culture

A Lost Opportunity? Hindus and Sikhs do not get a reserved seat in parliament

On 14 December 2013, the Wolesi Jirga (WJ), the lower house of the Afghan parliament, rejected the presidential decree adding a reserved seat among its ranks for the Hindu and Sikh minorities. The debate showed a divided house, but the vote rewarded those pitted against this facilitation for the tiny minority. However, the tone and arguments used […]

16 Dec 2013 Fabrizio Foschini • Political Landscape

The Incident at Coordinate 42S VF 8934 5219: German court rejects claim from Kunduz air strike victims

A district court in the former West German capital Bonn has rejected a case in connection with a lethal airstrike ordered by the commander of the German PRT in Kunduz province four years ago. Families of some of the dozens of victims and a German lawyer of Afghan origin had wanted to sue the German […]

15 Dec 2013 Thomas Ruttig • International Engagement

Candidates on Camera: Interviewing the next president of Afghanistan

Although campaigning for the presidential elections does not officially start until February 2014, the media has started interviewing the eleven candidates. This is a time for journalists to find out their plans and try to elicit specific promises on what they will or will not do should they become president. Most candidates have pasts to […]

12 Dec 2013 Kate Clark • Political Landscape

A ‘Jihad on the Media’? Afghan journalists face the storm in insecure legal waters

Since the beginning of this year, pressure on the Afghan media has been increasing. It is coming from two fronts: politicians and officials who claim that any critical reporting of them (or people of their ‘class’) is “defamation” and a “disruption of the social order”, and from Islamic scholars and MPs who are repeatedly using heated rhetoric […]

9 Dec 2013 Wazhma Samandary • Rights and Freedoms

Meeting Mullah Baradar… or Maybe Not: Confusion over Taleban Talks

Yet again there is the impression of something being afoot on the matter of talks with the Taleban, at least as far as Afghan government aspirations go. During the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, to Kabul on 30 November 2013, both leaders had nice words to say about the peace process, with Sharif […]

3 Dec 2013 Kate Clark • War and Peace

Discussing ‘The Social Wandering’ of the Afghan Kuchis

A new report by AAN, ‘The Social Wandering of the Afghan Kuchis,’ explores both the transformations that Afghan nomads have undergone in recent decades and their current, changing position in Afghan society. Decades of insecurity, drought and economic competition have led an increasing number of Kuchis to settle close to urban centers. There, they have […]

28 Nov 2013 Fabrizio Foschini • Context and Culture

The Social Wandering of the Afghan Kuchis: Changing patterns, perceptions and politics of an Afghan community

The latest AAN report, ‘The Social Wandering of the Afghan Kuchis: changing patterns, perceptions and politics of an Afghan community,’ by Fabrizio Foschini, explores the major impact of changing social, economic and political conditions on the Kuchi community over recent years and its consequences for their position in Afghan society. Afghan nomads have always aroused […]

28 Nov 2013 Fabrizio Foschini • Special Reports