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A Threat at Kabul’s Southern Gate: A security overview of Logar province

Logar – a strategic province at the southern gate of the capital Kabul – has been among Afghanistan’s most insecure provinces for years. The government only controls parts of three of its seven districts, in some cases not much more than (parts of) the district centre. This provides the Taleban positions closer to the capital […]

18 Jul 2020 Thomas Ruttig • Ali Mohammad Sabawoon • War and Peace

Citizens, Finally, But No Place to Settle: The Magats, one of Afghanistan’s most marginalised minorities

The Magats – a small ethnic group most frequently called ‘Jogi’ by others, a term often considered derogatory by them – have been living in Afghanistan for more than a century. Until recently, they were stateless but have now started a struggle for legal recognition and acknowledgement of their identity. The first successes, such as registration […]

8 Jul 2020 Khadija Hossaini • Thomas Ruttig • Context and Culture

‘Ghosts of the Past’: New Special Report on Local Force Mobilisation in Afghanistan

Today, AAN and the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) co-publish a new special report, ‘Ghosts of the Past: Lessons from Local Force Mobilisation in Afghanistan and Prospects for the Future’. The result of a three-year research project, the report considers why governments and their foreign partners have kept mobilising local forces in Afghanistan. It considers […]

1 Jul 2020 Kate Clark • War and Peace

New special report: ‘Ghosts of the Past: Lessons from Local Force Mobilisation in Afghanistan and Prospects for the Future’

A major new special report, ‘Ghosts of the Past: Lessons from Local Force Mobilisation in Afghanistan and Prospects for the Future’ looks at what is likely to make a local defence force – such as the Afghan Local Police (ALP) or Afghan National Army Territorial Force (ANA-TF) successful. This research sought to understand what makes some […]

1 Jul 2020 Kate Clark • Special Reports

New World Drug Report: Opium production in Afghanistan remained the same in 2019

The United Nations Drugs and Crime Office’s (UNODC) World Drug Report, released today, shows a decrease in the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan in 2019 following price falls after the bumper years in 2017 and 2018. However, in 2019 when weather conditions were optimal for growing poppy and plant disease absent, yields were high. Overall, that meant […]

25 Jun 2020 Jelena Bjelica • Economy, Development, Environment

Covid-19 in Afghanistan (4): A precarious interplay between war and epidemic

Afghans are now being killed by both the continuing war and Covid-19. The epidemic has ground much of life to a halt – with the notable exception of the fighting. In this report, AAN researchers Reza Kazemi and Fazal Muzhary (with input from Kate Clark) look at the interplay between war and disease. They provide […]

19 Jun 2020 S Reza Kazemi • Fazl Rahman Muzhary • War and Peace

UNAMA’s New Report on Anti-corruption: More backsliding from government and growing frustration from donors

The annual UNAMA anti-corruption report released today shows that the institutional fight against graft in Afghanistan between January 2019 and April 2020 has stalled in many areas. While the report acknowledges that the reform agenda has been overshadowed by the presidential elections and the pandemic, it does not hold back from pointing to failures in […]

18 Jun 2020 Jelena Bjelica • Economy, Development, Environment

Between Professionalism and Accommodation: The slow progress on the new cabinet

More than three months after the inauguration of President Ashraf Ghani, a cabinet has not yet been formed. The appointments were delayed and disrupted by the dispute about the election outcome and the ensuing standoff, which had beset the country for more than two months. However, almost a month after the impasse was resolved, Ghani […]

13 Jun 2020 Ali Yawar Adili • Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

AAN Co-authorship: Article on families during conflict in Central Asia

Acta Via Serica, 1 June 2020 AAN researcher Reza Kazemi has co-authored the article “Family Matters: The Making and Remaking of Family during Conflict Periods in Central Asia” for the peer reviewed journal ” in the June 2020 issue of Acta Via Serica: Journal for Silk Road and Central Asian Studies, published by Keimyung University […]

1 Jun 2020 AAN Team • External publications

Is the Citizens’ Charter the Right Vehicle for Reconciliation? The risks of monetising peace

The Citizens’ Charter is a community-driven development programme, currently implemented in one third of Afghanistan, which is seen as key means of reducing poverty. However, there are pilots planned that will stretch this ambitious programme beyond its economic goals, to use it as a vehicle for peace. AAN’s Jelena Bjelica looks at the mixed achievements of […]

31 May 2020 Jelena Bjelica • Rights and Freedoms