Thomas Ruttig

Afghanistan: Gehen oder bleiben?

Schwäbische Zeitung and Südwestpresse, 18 February 2021 Various German dailies quote AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the current US and NATO decision making on a troop withdrawal (or not) from Afghanistan (behind pay walls), saying there is “no real conditioning” for the Taleban to reduce violence included in their Doha deal with the US, therefore called […]

18 Feb 2021

Afghan Peace Will Require a Neighborly Concert

PRIO Policy Brief, 17 February 2021 PRIO’s Kristian Berg Harpviken looks at the players in this concert and comes to a pessimistic view: At a time when concerted neighborly action for Afghanistan’s future is desperately needed, achieving it seems less realistic than ever. (…) The US is withdrawing militarily – with or without an intra-Afghan […]

17 Feb 2021

AAN Q&A: Mediation or facilitation “would help” in the Doha talks

AAN Team •

The intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha are stalling since the first round ended in December 2020 with an agreement on the talks’ rules of procedure and both parties forwarding their lists of items for an agenda for the next rounds. In order to find out where there are possible ways out of the current political stalemate, […]

14 Feb 2021

Security forces fired directly at people without precaution or consideration [during] Behsud incident

Hasht-e Sobh, 9 February 2021 The Kabul daily summarised the report of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) about the violent incidents during a demonstration in Behsud district, saying that “security forces” killed 11 and injured 31 unarmed protestors “without [previously] using any riot control measures on the crowd” and using “direct fire” instead. […]

9 Feb 2021

کلمبیا و فارک، افغانستان و طالبان؛ تفاوت‌ها و شباهت‌ها (Colombia and the FARC, Afghanistan and the Taliban: Differences and similarities)

Hasht-e Sobh (8am), 21 Dalw 1399 (9 February 2021) The Kabul-based daily looks into a non-Afghan peace process, using (and quoting) research for AAN by Martine van Bijlert, co-founder and former co-director.

9 Feb 2021

Abzug oder nicht? Afghanistan schaut auf die USA

Augsburger Allgemeine, 8 February 2021 The German daily extensively quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the current situation in Afghanistan and possible scenarios related to the US-Taleban agreement about a withdrawal of US troops (in German – also as an audio file).

8 Feb 2021

Droughts on the Horizon: Can Afghanistan manage this risk? 

Mhd Assem Mayar •

In the last two decades, Afghanistan has experienced more droughts than ever before. New data suggest that after two relatively good years, the country is facing a moderate-to-high drought risk for the new year 1400 (2021). Half of Afghanistan’s agricultural land depends on spring rainfall, which has become less reliable because of climate change. Annual droughts in […]

7 Feb 2021

Inside the Shadowy Militias Luring Unsuspecting Afghans to Fight, or Die

New York Times, 4 February 2021 Depressing report about a new set of militias in Balkh province (and also southern Afghanistan) that, under the control of former governor Atta, partly recruits members under the pretext of construction work, aiming at people impoverished in the Corona crisis.

4 Feb 2021

Diplomatisches Karussell: Iranische Regierung fordert »inklusive« Regierung für Afghanistan

nd, 2 February 2021 The Berlin-based daily (formerly Neues Deutschland) quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in this article looking at he recent visit of a Taleban delegation to Iran and Afghan-Iranian relations.

2 Feb 2021

Afghanistan-Experte: “Es ist ein Dilemma”

MDR, 24 February 2021 Listen to an interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig with German public radio about the US review of the Doha Taleban deal on troop withdrawal (in German).

1 Feb 2021

Afghanistan’s Divided Republican “Front”

Thomas Ruttig • Ali Yawar Adili •

ISPI online, 26 January 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig and Ali Yawar Adili have co-authored an article for an Afghanistan dossier published on the website of the Italian Institute for the Study of International Politics (ISPI), dealing with the composition of the ‘Islamic Republic of Afghanistan team’ at the intra-Afghan negotiations with the Taleban that started […]

26 Jan 2021

Living with the Taleban (3): Local experiences in Dasht-e Archi district, Kunduz province

Bilal Sediqi •

In our third study exploring Taleban rule in territories under their control, AAN looks at Dasht-e Archi district in Kunduz province. The intra-Afghan talks in Doha may presage an Afghan state with key positions held by the Taleban. At the very least, the pattern of the Taleban controlling particular localities is likely to continue. In this […]

25 Jan 2021