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“Atta for President” Again? The struggle for the Afghan presidency and Jamiat’s leadership

This year’s Nawruz, the Persian New Year on 21 March 2017, also heralded the beginning of the positioning for Afghanistan’s next presidential election, although due only in two years’ time. Atta Muhammad Nur, the powerful governor of Balkh province, used the popular holiday to announce that he will run in 2019. He kept open, however, […]

10 Apr 2017 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

Harassment of Women in Afghanistan: A hidden phenomenon addressed in too many laws

Afghan women and girls often quietly endure harassment, including sexual harassment. Speaking out brings with it the possibility of their honour being called into question, and could lead to further restrictions being placed on their lives. Over the past few years, several legal initiatives have sought to address the issue of harassment. This has led […]

2 Apr 2017 Ehsan Qaane • Rights and Freedoms

The Great Game: The rise of Afghan cricket from exodus and war

Afghanistan continues to make inroads into the world of cricket. The men’s team has progressed from being a disorganised band of reckless hitters of the ball in the early 2000s to a well-balanced team. Two Afghans recently got contracts to play in the biggest cricket league in the world, the Indian Premier League, with deals […]

28 Mar 2017 Kate Clark • Sudhansu Verma • Economy, Development, Environment

How much do I need to pay? Changes to Afghanistan’s Tax Law cause chaos and confusion

What are the tax obligations of citizens, residents and investors in Afghanistan? This question is much harder to answer today than it was 18 months ago. Then, the 2009 Income Tax Law, a remarkably well-written and detailed piece of legislation, had gone a long way in establishing a path towards clarity, stability and integrity for […]

23 Mar 2017 Chantal Grut • Economy, Development, Environment

Happy Nawruz! Wishing peace and happiness to AAN readers in 1396

After a long, cold, hard winter, Nawruz is finally here. Spring itself seems a little late this year. By 1 Hamal 1395, the trees were already in full bloom in Kabul. Not this year. Still, we are sure that balmier days will soon be here and, as the gardens awaken, the fragrance of flowers will fill the air. Here at AAN, […]

21 Mar 2017 AAN Team • Context and Culture

Non-Pashtun Taleban of the North (2): Case studies of Uzbek Taleban in Faryab and Sar-e Pul

The Taleban have spent many years ‘localising’ their fight in the north, recruiting local fighters and commanders and keying in to Afghan Uzbek madrassa networks in Pakistan and the north. That drive has paid off; in the Uzbek-majority provinces of Faryab and Sar-e Pul, the Taleban have gained significant ground against the government. In this […]

17 Mar 2017 Obaid Ali • War and Peace

AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on „How safe is Afghanistan (for deportations)?“

Here are AAN co-director Thomas Ruttig’s next speaking appointments: four public events in four German cities (Mainz, Hamburg, Geesthacht near Hamburg, Berlin), all before the end of March, each time about the Afghan issue that dominates Germany’s domestic debate: whether the country is ‘safe’ enough that the German government (at the start of an election campaign […]

14 Mar 2017 Thomas Ruttig • Events

A Success Story Marred by Ghost Numbers: Afghanistan’s inconsistent education statistics

For years, the Afghan government and donors have cited the growing number of children going to school in Afghanistan as an important post-Taleban success, despite closer scrutiny showing that numbers may have been inflated. The issue came to a head when the newly appointed education minister in the National Unity Government, Asadullah Hanif Balkhi, said […]

13 Mar 2017 Ali Yawar Adili • Economy, Development, Environment

The Leahy Law and Human Rights Accountability in Afghanistan: Too little, too late or a model for the future?

The Leahy Amendment, or Leahy law, is a little known piece of United States legislation that bans US assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information that a member has committed gross violations of human rights. The Leahy law has accomplished far less than its champions hoped for, but far more […]

5 Mar 2017 Erica Gaston • International Engagement

Drone Warfare 2: Targeted Killings – a future model for Afghanistan?

Armed drones came of age, by chance, at the onset of the United State’s ‘war on terror’. Washington has used them ever since to provide close air support to troops on the ground and to carry out targeted killings. In Afghanistan, they have been relatively uncontroversial, but in other countries, their legality, effectiveness and potential […]

1 Mar 2017 Kate Clark • War and Peace