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Afghanistan’s Early Reformists: Mahmud Tarzi’s ideas and their influence on the Wesh Zalmian movement

This paper of its Senior Analysts Thomas Ruttig represents the opening of AAN’s new series of occasional papers. It addresses the influence of the thoughts of Afghan nationalist and moderniser Mahmud Tarzi (1865-1933), foreign minister under reformer-king Amanullah (1919-29), on Afghanistan’s 1940/50s pro-democratic opposition movement, the Wesh Zalmian (Awakened Youth). Mahmud Tarzi and the movement […]

27 Apr 2011 Thomas Ruttig • Special Reports

The Easter Egg Question in the Light of Orientalism

This (Easter Sunday) morning I was listening to my local German radio station where an expert on religion was explaining how certain ‘European’ Easter traditions – like painting and hiding eggs for children – were increasingly adopted elsewhere. He linked this to the spread of television and children’s books and opined that ‘a majority of […]

24 Apr 2011 Thomas Ruttig • Context and Culture

The Ongoing Saga of the Parliament and the Special Court

Seven months after the Wolesi Jirga vote, and three months after the inauguration of Parliament, MPs are still not sure who will finally be declared the winners and losers of the election. Rumours surrounding the investigations by the Special Court have been wildly contradictory and have kept them on edge. It is a perfect example […]

22 Apr 2011 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

In Quest of the Arghawan (and the Rhubarb)

Kabul, having been a serious city for some thousands years now, even a capital at different times, and withstood many an invasion – from the Hephtalites to the Hippies, from the Mongols to the Contractors – has a long tradition of urban pleasures. Foremost among them is that of escaping the city’s chaos and noise […]

21 Apr 2011 Fabrizio Foschini • Context and Culture

Feminist Perspectives on Contemporary International Law: Between Resistance and Compliance?

Sari Kouvo and Zoe Pearson, Hart Publishing Ltd. The edited volume reflects on the role of international law in the post-9/11 era. It includes a chapter by Sari Kouvo discussing the international engagement for women’s rights in Afghanistan 2001 to 2010. The full publication can be found below: Feminist Perspectives on Contemporary International Law: Between […]

20 Apr 2011 Sari Kouvo • External publications

Taleban ‘spring campaign starts’: more suicide attacks, fewer civilian casualties?

The suicide attack today (18 April 2011) on the Afghan ministry of defence followed a warning by the Taleban spokesman that the movement would be focussing on greater infiltration of the Afghan security forces in order to carry out attacks. He said the attack marked the start of the Taleban’s ‘spring campaign’. It was a […]

18 Apr 2011 Kate Clark • War and Peace

Facts and Fiction on the Frontier: The Haqqanis and the Kurram peace deal

For a few weeks, it looked like the sectarian conflict in Kurram Tribal Agency had been brought to a solution. The years-long siege on Shia residents had been lifted thanks to a much talked about peace agreement, allegedly brokered with the help of Jalaluddin Haqqani. This, however, now looks increasingly doubtful and seems to be […]

14 Apr 2011 Fabrizio Foschini • Regional Relations

Victims Organisations Sound a Wake-up Call

AAN continues its analysis of civil society’s role in and ability to influence the processes unfolding in Afghanistan. AAN’s Sari Kouvo and Obaid Ali participated in the National Victims Conference held in Kabul 30-31 March. The National Victims’ Conference held in Kabul 30-31 March brought together representatives from victims and martyrs organizations, civil society and […]

13 Apr 2011 Sari Kouvo • Rights and Freedoms

Jallywood follows Bollywood

In Jalalabad, a vibrant film scene has emerged since the fall of the Taleban. Movies are recorded on mobile phones. Illegally copied DVDs are sold for low prices. Filmmakers are requesting the government to build a cinema. And even governor Sherzai has produced songs for a Hindi movie. But one element is missing: female actors. […]

12 Apr 2011 Naqib Ahmad Atal • Context and Culture

One Week in Vain: An operation in Nerkh

In March, US troops carried out an operation to secure the volatile district of Nerkh, just south of Kabul. They thought it will take them less than a week to bring ‘visible improvements’, establish a couple of shuras and ‘local police’. A Spanish journalist witnessed this operation and found that nothing of this finally materialised […]

12 Apr 2011 Thomas Ruttig • War and Peace

Kandahar in Revolt: The Quran demos in the light of history

The sort of violent demonstrations which took place in Kandahar in the first week of April against the burning of a Qur’an in the United States, with large gatherings of people and clashes with Afghan security forces, have not been seen since the late 1950s and early 1980s. Usually, says our guest blogger, the freelance […]

10 Apr 2011 Felix Kuehn • Context and Culture

Smoke signals about a new Afghan cabinet in the making

Kabul’s rumour mill is up to speed again on the issue of a possible – and necessary – cabinet reshuffle. President Karzai has for months been working with a rump cabinet with seven acting ministers. It has now been confirmed from within the parliament that four names have been submitted for a new vote, all […]

9 Apr 2011 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

Towards a More United Voice of Civil Society

During the last months, AAN’s Fabrizio Foschini has had the chance to follow closely the process leading to the formation of a network of Afghan civil society organisations, its path to a two-day conference in Kabul, and its plans for future initiatives. ‘On one thing I don’t agree with my colleagues: this is not the […]

5 Apr 2011 Fabrizio Foschini • Political Landscape

(Former) Red Lines and Blue Helmets: More on the Century Foundation report

AAN continues commenting on the Century Foundation’s Afghanistan Task Force report on ‘Negotiating Peace’. Today, Barbara J. Stapleton(*) points to the issue of (non-)permanent US bases in Afghanistan, to Hillary Clinton’s Asia Society speech that turned ‘red lines’ into an ’end state’, to Pakistan’s role and to the idea to deploy UN blue helmets after […]

3 Apr 2011 Barbara Stapleton • International Engagement

The Dead of Mazar

Today, our thoughts are with the UN colleagues who were killed in Mazar-e Sharif yesterday and also with the Afghans killed there(*), not knowing whether they had just been using their constitutional right to demonstrate or indeed had murder in their hearts. And we hope that Pastor Jones in Gainesville, Florida, had a sleepless night, […]

2 Apr 2011 Thomas Ruttig • International Engagement

First Flickers of an Afghan Facebook Reform Movement

After the revolution in Egypt and Tunisia in which Facebook played a key role, young Afghan Facebook users have started to establish their own pages to organise anti-government protest. They have chosen corruption and reform as their rallying issues. AAN’s Gran Hewad went to the first press conference of one of the reformist groupings but […]

31 Mar 2011 Gran Hewad • Rights and Freedoms

Afghanistan’s Drug Career: from War to Drug Economy

This new AAN thematic report (with SWP Berlin) by German scholar Citha D. Maass looks into the beginnings and the evolution of drug production in Afghanistan during its three decades-long war. Starting with the Western-supported anti-Soviet jihad in 1979, drug production became a major base for the country’s war economy. After the fall of the […]

31 Mar 2011 Citha D Maas • Special Reports

March/April 2011: Three New AAN Papers

Since the Afghan New Year on 21 March, AAN has two new of its own papers out, both by German scholars – Lutz Rzehak on Pashtunwali and Citha D. Maass on Afghanistan’s war economy turning into a drug economy again. And thirdly, there is a new study by AAN Advisory Board member Ann Wilkens (published […]

29 Mar 2011 AAN • admin • Events

Guest Blog: A former Afghanistan jihadi in Libya’s revolution

Our guest blogger Christoph Reuter(*) has met a former Afghanistan fighter in the liberated city of Darnah and found that Libya’s Islamists do not need a jihadi valve anymore. They even do not attempt to hijack the Libyan revolution – which is secular in character, like the ones in Egypt and Tunisia. When about a […]

29 Mar 2011 Christopher Reuter • War and Peace

Flash from the Past: An Alternative to the Taleban?

A former Pakistani general pulled new strings in Afghanistan’s conflict in the summer of 2000, trying to set up a Pakistani-controlled ‘anti’ or ‘neo-Taleban’ force. It was to get rid of the increasingly discredited Mulla Omar, safeguard the alliance with the US – and Pakistan’s influence on Afghanistan. The plan failed, or was abandoned – […]

28 Mar 2011 Thomas Ruttig • War and Peace