Thomas Ruttig

Češi v Lógaru šest let krváceli a pomáhali, teď provincii přebírá Tálibán

iDnes, 27 March 2021 AAN’s report by Ali Mohammad Sabawoon and Thomas Ruttig is quoted in this article in the Czech online daily, taking stock of the Czech troops’ role in Logar province, under the title “The Czechs were bleeding and helping in Logar for six years, now the Taliban is taking over the province”: […]

27 Mar 2021

Afghanistan: “Only bad choices”

Journal21, 24 March 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted on the Swiss online news portal from his latest AAN report on the Afghan peace process and the US attempts to ‘accelerate’ it (in German): Thomas Ruttig, der Co-Direktor des „Afghanistan Analysts Network“ schreibt, die USA „faces only bad choices“. Was sie auch immer entscheiden, es […]

24 Mar 2021

Foes in Afghan War See a Common Threat of Islamic State’s Return

The New York Times, 22 March 2021 This story from Afghanistan’s Kunar shows the province after the defeat of the local Islamic State branch, in what it calls an uneasy truth between the Taleban and the government forces who cooperated against ISKP which has disintegrated there but not vanished – and it quotes AAN’s recent […]

22 Mar 2021

Gespräche mit Taliban und Warlords: Neuer Anlauf zu Abzug und Frieden

Tageszeitung, 17 March 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig analyses the latest US plan for Afghanistan for the Berlin-based daily (in German), arguing that most of those planned to be invited to a peace conference in Turkey are accused of war crimes. It would be th political end for President Ghani’s increasingly corrupt and authoritarian government, but […]

17 Mar 2021

Bamian: Eine Nacht mit Buddha

nd, 12 March 2021 On the twentieth anniversary of the destruction of the two giant buddha statues of Bamian by the Taleban, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig reminisces about various visits to the Central Afghan valley in the Berlin-based leftwing daily (in German).

12 Mar 2021

Opposition, Skepticism Cloud New U.S. Proposal For Afghan Peace

Gandhara (RFE/RL), 8 March 2021 Author Abubakr Siddique quotes from Thomas Ruttig’s analysis at AAN of the new US peace plan (incl. a new international ‘Bonn-style’ conference): Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul, noted that the proposed plan prioritizes U.S. interests and timelines even more than the […]

8 Mar 2021

Die Taliban kontrollieren heute mehr als die Hälfte der Gebiete in Afghanistan

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 8 March 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted in this article of the leading Swiss daily describing the power balance between government and Taleban in Afghanistan (in German): «Laut Schätzungen kontrollieren die Taliban heute zwischen 50 und 70 Prozent des Territoriums», erklärt Thomas Ruttig vom unabhängigen Think-Tank Afghanistan Analysts Network. Da sie vor allem […]

8 Mar 2021

Abdullah meets US embassy’s DCM as Taliban refuses ‘idea of interim gov’t’

Khaama, 7 March 2021 The Kabul-based news agency quotes from AAN analysis by Thomas Ruttig of the new US peace plan for Afghanistan: Afghanistan Analysts Network reported that Khalilzad also proposed a Bonn-type conference that would be aimed to either cancel or sideline the peace process. The “Bonn 2” have been discussed in a number […]

7 Mar 2021

“Another Bonn-style conference”: A new plan to ‘fix’ the war and enable US troops to leave

Thomas Ruttig •

The United States envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has floated the possibility of a ‘new Bonn’ conference that could cancel or sideline the intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha. ‘Bonn 2’ appears to have been discussed in some allied capitals and various Afghan leaders, although it is unclear how much buy-in the proposal has from them. […]

7 Mar 2021

Hit from Many Sides (2): The demise of ISKP in Kunar

Obaid Ali • Khalid Gharanai •

One year ago, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State – called Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) – lost its last territorial base in Afghanistan in Kunar province. This followed a first severe defeat in their major stronghold in the country, in Nangrahar province in late 2019. No open ISKP presence is left in Kunar […]

3 Mar 2021

Judicial Independence in Afghanistan: Legal Framework and Practical Challenge

AREU, February 2021 A new paper authored by Shoaib Timory. In a government with a separation of powers, independence is an indispensable feature of the judiciary. In Afghanistan, this was recognised only in the Constitution of 1964 and the Constitution of 1987 before the current Constitution mapped out a range of measures necessary to keep the judiciary and […]

26 Feb 2021

Immer mehr zivile Opfer in Afghanistan

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 26 February 2021 This article in the lading Swiss daily on the latest UNAMA civilian casualties report quotes from Kate Clark’s analysis of the report: Laut Kate Clarke vom Afghanistan Analysts Network haben die Aufständischen nach ihrem Erfolgserlebnis in Doha begonnen, langsam an der Gewaltspirale zu drehen, um zu testen, wie die USA […]

26 Feb 2021