Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Sudhansu Verma

29 August 2011: New Afghan scenario paper with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig as co-author published

AAN • admin •

AAN’s Thomas Ruttig and Citha D. Maaß of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin have co-authored a paper that describes possible scenarios during and after the transition process ‘Afghanistan vor neuem Bürgerkrieg?’ (Afghanistan facing a new civil war?). The paper has been uploaded at the SWP website today in English, the original German version […]

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Is Afghanistan on the Brink of a New Civil War? Possible Scenarios and Influencing Factors in the Transition Process

Citha D Maas •

Citha D. Maaß und Thomas Ruttig, SWP Briefing 2011/A 40, August 2011, 4 p. In July 2011, the transition of security responsibility to the Afghan government has begun. While NATO states accompany this process with calculated optimism, the authors write, four rather negative scenarios are looming: continuation of the rule of a ‚power oligarchy’ in […]

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Afghanistan vor neuem Bürgerkrieg? Entwicklungsoptionen und Einflussfaktoren im Transitionsprozess

Citha D Maas •

Citha D. Maaß und Thomas Ruttig, SWP-Aktuell 2011/A 40, August 2011, 4 p. In July 2011, the transition of security responsibility to the Afghan government has begun. While NATO states accompany this process with calculated optimism, the authors write, four rather negative scenarios are looming: continuation of the rule of a ‚power oligarchy’ in the […]

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Motorbike bandits of Jam: A look at the land Nato forgot (Ghor)

admin •

Scotsman, 17 August 2011 A rare look into an abandoned province with Taleban presence, illegal armed group and ALP by Jerome Starkey

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U.S. military awards contracts in Afghanistan to get money away from insurgents

admin •

Washington Post, 16 August 2011 Article scetches the outlines of a new contracting policy within the US military, that aims to bypass the many brokers and middlemen – although the details are not yet clear. Changes changes include “direct contracts with truckers, improvements in convoy monitoring and increased vetting of Afghan private security subcontractors.” Contracts […]

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A golden decade for defense companies is ending

admin •

Canadian Business, 15 August 2011 Article describes the huge growth and change of focus in the defence industry since 11 September 2001, as well as what now seems to be the end of the golden decade (but is it really?)..

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Disrupted dialogue: Purported Taliban negotiator ‘goes missing’

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The Express Tribune, 8 August 2011 Article claims that Tayyeb Agha has made himself unavailable and is no longer in touch with US negotiators (and quotes Mullah Zaeef who claims he may have never been).

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Washington Dropped the Ball on a Secret Afghan Wireless Communications Company that Might Have Prevented 9/11

admin •

Vanity Fair, 4 August 2011 Article describes the early days of what is now AWCC telecom – then called Afghan Wireless – and its dealings with both the Taleban government and the various US and British intelligence agencies. Interesting, but likely to feed the already growing paranoia inside Afghanistan.

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A picture of peace in Afghanistan – but have the Taliban gone for good?

admin •

Independent, 2 August 2011 A reportage from Nadali in Helmand about the question that really counts: How sustainable is the West’s miltary progress against the Taleban?

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In one tense district, Afghan crisis comes into focus

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McClatchy newspapers, 1 August 2011 Jonathan Landay reports why Sarobi, as Kabul province’s only district, has not been included in transition phase 1.

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Malalai’s wayward sisters

AAN •

Being a woman criminal in Afghanistan may not lead to wide public recognition as it does in neighbouring India, but Afghan ladies actually have a very respectable tradition of being ‘bandit queens’. In the event of a newly reported instance of this type, AAN’s archival team looks at a couple of memorable past characters. A […]

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