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17-21 July 2013, Belfast: Summer School on Transitional Justice with AAN participation

The University of Ulster’s Belfast Campus will play host to the 6th annual international Summer School on Transitional Justice from 17-21 July 2013. Organised by the Transitional Justice Institute, the Summer School brings together practitioners, academics and postgraduate students from around the world to share in a week long programme of interactive seminars and workshops. […]

10 Jul 2013 Martine van Bijlert • Events

Who Played Havoc with the Qatar Talks? Five possible scenarios to explain the mess

The bizarre turn of events following the opening of the Taleban office in Doha has led many to wonder whether the affair could have been deliberately sabotaged. Was it possible it had just been badly handled? So rapidly did the optimism about potential talks give way to bewilderment at their suspension, and the Taleban’s re-appearance […]

9 Jul 2013 Borhan Osman • Kate Clark • War and Peace

Winding Down or in for the Long Haul? The emergence of a new US counter-terrorism strategy

The great behemoth of US counter-terrorism strategy is shifting. President Barack Obama has said he wants to end the war, not just in Afghanistan, but also, ultimately against al-Qaida. Congress has also been making its first attempts to claw back some of the unprecedented powers it gave the president to wage war when, just after […]

8 Jul 2013 Kate Clark • International Engagement

Watching Warblers: A bird lover’s delight in Kabul

Did you think the vast, loud and smoggy capital of Afghanistan was the last place to watch birds? Think again. With its parks and gardens, it is an oasis for tired migrants in the otherwise rocky and dry region. Siberian Chiffchaffs, Hume’s Leaf Warblers, Bluethroats, Hoopoes and many more – they all come to rest […]

7 Jul 2013 Mark Mallalieu • Context and Culture

Still Temporary and Exclusive: A new leadership for Jamiat

Jamiat-e Islami, one of Afghanistan’s oldest and largest political parties (and formerly one of its most powerful military factions) has made a half-hearted choice in picking its new leadership. The choice was made by a small group and without holding its long-overdue full party congress, so the new appointments are all temporary. It seems the […]

5 Jul 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

A Giant Arch, a Secret Garden, a Dragon and Myriads of Mud-Coloured Frogs: Our summer travel tips for Bamyan Province

Bamyan is one of the most famous places in Afghanistan and has, in the last 12 years, probably received a greater share of visitors than aid. Travelling Bamyan is a treat and a must for everyone, Afghan or foreigner, who is able to arrange transport there – which is not always easy. The start of […]

4 Jul 2013 Fabrizio Foschini • Context and Culture

Who will Control the 2014 Electoral Process: An update on Afghanistan’s electoral laws

With only nine months to go to the presidential and provincial council elections in April 2014, the two main laws that determine how Afghanistan’s elections should be conducted are still inching their way through the legislative process. It has been a long and winding road, accompanied by strong emotions and high stakes; this is, after […]

4 Jul 2013 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

A ‘Georgian’ Jihad via Youtube? Afghanistan-related video sparks speculations

The Afghanistan link goes all the way to Georgia – not the US Georgia but the Caucasian Georgia, the post-Soviet republic independent since 1991. As the largest non-Nato contributor, the small country has been paying a heavy toll of lives on the battlefields of Helmand. Its participation to the Afghan mission is now being questioned […]

3 Jul 2013 Diana Janse • Regional Relations

Joint Statement Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) – 3 July 2013

Joint Statement Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) Senior Officials Meeting Kabul, Afghanistan, 3 July 2013 – You can read the statement here

3 Jul 2013 admin • International documents on Afghanistan

Talking to the Taliban: A British perspective

The deputy commander of ISAF and most senior British soldier in Afghanistan, General Nick Carter, has told The Guardian that, ‘the west should have tried talking to the Taliban a decade ago, after they had just been toppled from power’. AAN Senior Analyst, Kate Clark, who witnessed many of the events of that time, not […]

3 Jul 2013 Kate Clark • War and Peace