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The Counter-Jirga: 3000 participants condemn the US, the Afghan government and the BSA

One of the largest anti-American events witnessed over the past years has taken place in Kabul with 3000 politicians, mullahs and students coming together from across Afganistan to voice their adamant opposition to Afghanistan signing a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States. It comes just days before the government is due to hold […]

11 Nov 2013 Borhan Osman • War and Peace

Killing Mullahs and Wedding Guests, Banning Last Rites: the worsening Andar conflict

Violence within Ghazni’s Andar district has become increasingly savage in recent months. The roadside bomb which killed 19 people, mostly women, as they drove to a wedding on 27 October rightly caught the world’s headlines. Beyond that though, Andar has seen an escalation in killings and threats and even bans on giving last rights and […]

6 Nov 2013 Emal Habib • War and Peace

“As Easy As Growing Potatoes”: How formerly ‘poppy-free’ Ghor is at risk of becoming an important player in Afghanistan’s opium business

Ghor province has been considered poppy-free for a long time, but in the past two years opium production and drug trafficking have picked up sharply. With insecurity in the province on the rise, obstructing income sources and basic services, many of Ghor’s farmers migrated to neighbouring provinces like Helmand, helping in the local drug production […]

4 Nov 2013 Obaid Ali • Economy, Development, Environment

Comeback of Some Well-Known Faces: Election-related cabinet mini-reshuffle

President Karzai has appointed five new ministers to fill the voids left in his cabinet by the incumbents resigning to join the presidential race. His 28 October mini-reshuffle in the cabinet brings back some long-standing allies, two relative newcomers and one controversial figure. AAN analysts, Thomas Ruttig, Gran Hewad and Kate Clark, have been looking […]

30 Oct 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

25 October 2013, New York: IPI Panel Discussion on the Afghan elections with AAN’s Martine van Bijlert

Breakfast Policy Forum: “2014 Elections in Afghanistan: The Political Passage” International Peace Institute, 25 October 2013 at 08:45 EST. The panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding Afghanistan’s upcoming election. Chair: Maureen Quinn (IPI, Director of Programs) Panel Members: Scott Smith (USIP, Director of the Afghanistan and Central Asia program) Craig Jennesse (UN DPKO, Director of […]

25 Oct 2013 AAN Team • Events

24 October 2013: Lunch Seminar at Princeton University with AAN’s Martine van Bijlert

Princeton University Lunch Seminar on “Afghanistan Today, and Looking Forward” Event Date:  Thursday, October 24, 2013 Event Time:  12:00 p.m. Location:  012 Bendheim Hall The Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination will hold a Crisis Diplomacy lunch seminar on Thursday, October 24, 2013, at 12:00 p.m. in 012 Bendheim Hall. Martine van Bijlert, Co-Director of the Afghanistan Analysts […]

24 Oct 2013 AAN Team • Events

Pluralistic within Limits, but Not Democratic: Afghanistan’s political landscape before the 2014 elections

A look at the broad variety of (potential) presidential candidates seems to indicate some political pluralism. This is an illusion, however. Afghan analysts have recently argued that President Karzai’s political approach has hampered democratic party-based politics. This is only one side of the coin, argues AAN’s senior analyst Thomas Ruttig. He explains that the other […]

24 Oct 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

And Then They Were Ten: Preliminary final list of presidential candidates out

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has purged the list of presidential hopefuls for the 2014 election from 27 candidates to 10, saying the rest had failed to meet the criteria for standing. It said they either had second nationalities or had failed to amass enough voter cards to support their candidacy. Those who have been […]

22 Oct 2013 Kate Clark • Political Landscape

The Lion Roars Again: BSA, Loya Jirga and a strong sense of déjà vu

Preparations are underway for the ‘consultative Loya Jirga’ which will meet in a month’s time, as the first step in deciding whether Afghanistan signs a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States. The Afghan parliament will then either approve or reject the agreement. All this pushes the decision way past the 31 October deadline […]

21 Oct 2013 Kate Clark • War and Peace

On the Run without Aid: The much delayed policy on Afghanistan’s internally displaced

Much has been reported on the plight of Afghanistan’s internally displaced persons (IDPs), their miserable life in informal settlements, and their lack of access to income, education and health care. Actions, however, have been scarce, both nationally and internationally. They have been often humanitarian in nature only and mostly short term. This is also because the […]

20 Oct 2013 Christine Roehrs • Migration

18 October 2013, Washington: “Afghanistan: Past, Present and Future” with Martine van Bijlert and William Polk

Afghanistan: Past, Present and Future with Martine van Bijlert and William R. Polk Friday, October 18, 2013 2000 M Street NW Conference Room A 3:00pm – 4:30pm  Please join us in a lively discussion on how Afghanistan’s rich history will affect its future with two experts who have over 80 years of combined experience analyzing […]

18 Oct 2013 AAN Team • Events

Guts, Prettily Coiled: A guide to Eid sacrifices

Today is Eid al Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, the most important religious holiday in the Afghan calendar. In millions of yards across the country, Afghans will slit the throats of cows or sheep in remembrance of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in submission to God’s command and of the lamb which […]

15 Oct 2013 Christine Roehrs • Context and Culture

A Very Happy Eid-e Qurban!

Here at AAN, we’d like to wish all our dear readers a very happy Eid-e Qurban and for Afghanistan peace in the coming year. We marked the last Eid with a celebratory dispatch of ten stories from Afghans on their customs and memories of Eid al-Fitr. Today, we are publishing a report from AAN analyst Christine Roehrs […]

15 Oct 2013 AAN Team • Context and Culture

Not Signed and Sealed Just Yet: Kerry and Karzai’s deal on the Bilateral Security Agreement

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, has flown home with the basis of a Bilateral Security Agreement in his pocket, finally thrashed out with President Hamed Karzai. On this depends continuing US and NATO missions after 2014. Negotiations on the deal have been long and painful, AAN senior analyst Kate Clark reports, because […]

14 Oct 2013 Kate Clark • War and Peace

Talebs in Tajikistan? Part 2 on the alleged IMU-Taleban nexus

If one listens to ISAF and to Central Asian governments, there are overlapping networks of jihadist terrorists subverting Afghanistan and Tajikistan, if not the whole region. Few of these reports are substantiated by details that can be independently scrutinised. But they are often picked up by media and other outlets, presented as proven facts and […]

11 Oct 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Regional Relations

Talebs in Tajikistan? The ‘terrorist spill-over’ hype

If one listens to ISAF and to Central Asian governments, there are overlapping networks of jihadist terrorists subverting Afghanistan and Tajikistan, if not the whole region. Those networks, it is said, link the Taleban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) with al-Qaeda and other Pakistan-based groups. Few of these reports are substantiated by details […]

10 Oct 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Regional Relations

12 October 2013, Almaty, Kazakhstan: Thomas Ruttig’s university lecture on “Afghanistan in 2014″

Thomas Ruttig, co-director and senior analyst of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), speaks at the KIMEP University in Kazakhstan’s capital Almaty about “Afghanistan in 2014 – between presidential elections and western troop withdrawal”. At 2:30 pm in Hall 2 of the university’s New Building.

10 Oct 2013 Christine Roehrs • Events

A Leader Apologises: General Dostum, elections and war crimes

For the first time, a senior Afghan has made a public apology to those of his compatriots who suffered during the war. General Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of the largely Uzbek Jombesh party / ex military faction, made the statement a day after registering as running mate to Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in the presidential elections. […]

8 Oct 2013 Kate Clark • Rights and Freedoms

The Last Minute Frenzy of Afghanistan’s Candidate Registration

The registration for Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential election continued until the very late hours of 6 October 2013. Although it was to be expected that the political horse-trading and deal-making would continue until the last minute, the scramble that finally ensued took everybody by surprise and mixed up all electoral alliances that had been forged in the weeks before. The AAN team […]

6 Oct 2013 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Thematic Dossier III: What Past Elections Teach Us

Afghanistan is getting ready for its fifth election in ten years. For those who have gone through the previous rounds there is an immense sense of déjà vu. So before embarking on a new round of intense reporting, we decided to look back at the work already done – most of which is as relevant now, as […]

5 Oct 2013 Martine van Bijlert • Dossiers