Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Reports

Reports – previously known as dispatches – are the flagship of the AAN website and our main type of publication. AAN reports are based on extensive desk and field research and provide timely and in-depth information and analysis.

What the Polls Tell Us About the Afghan Presidential Election

Matthieu Aikins •

Is it possible to predict the upcoming Afghan elections on the basis of polling data? There are severe methodological challenges in collecting accurate survey data in a country like Afghanistan, and, given how young the country’s democracy is, not much past data on how well those predictions turned out. But surveys during the 2009 presidential […]

Political Landscape Read more

Enough with the Killing of Civilians! The Serena attack and the civil society response

Susanne Schmeidl •

The war is getting dirtier, writes Susanne Schmeidl, member of and guest contributor to AAN, looking at the Serena attack and its victims, particularly the women and children. We have to assume that everything and everybody is fair game in the Taleban’s fight against – “well, against what?” she asks, and “for whom?” Schmeidl gives […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

Can the Taleban outwrestle the government? An assessment of the insurgency’s military capability

Borhan Osman •

The Taleban are poised to bounce back and threaten the Afghan state once foreign troops withdraw – this is the kind of doomsday scenario one hears these days as foreign troops prepare to depart. Recent statistics have shown that 2013 was at least as violent as 2011, the previous record year for attacks and casualties. However, […]

War and Peace Read more

The Butter on the Bread: The Provincial Councils’ fight for extended authority

Thomas Ruttig •

For more than two weeks, now, the campaign for the provincial council (PC) election has been running. It commenced on 4 March, and the presidential election that ends the era of President Hamed Karzai in Afghanistan’s highest office overshadows it. PC candidates and voters face one difficulty: the councils lack clearly defined authorities, which somewhat […]

Political Landscape Read more

Taste the Samanak! Wishing you a Happy New Year with ancient culinary treats

AAN Team •

The celebration of Nawruz, the New Year, on the 21st of March by the peoples of the region between Anatolia and Central Asia dates back some thousands of years. This year it is Afghanistan’s turn to host the Nawruz International Festival, which sees the presidents of several countries of the region gather for a joint […]

Context and Culture Read more

A Sad Nawruz: Violence risks tainting an important Afghan holiday

AAN Team •

AAN had wanted to wake up on a Friday, post its piece about Nawruz special food traditions, and enjoy the quiet of one of the last weekends before elections and more hectic days of work. That this was a delusion became clear as details about yesterday’s attack at Kabul’s Serena hotel started to emerge. On […]

War and Peace Read more

The Murder of Swedish Journalist Nils Horner: an assessment of the Fedai Mahaz claim

Kate Clark • Borhan Osman •

The Swedish newspaper Expressen has published CCTV footage of the two men who allegedly killed the Swedish-British journalist, Nils Horner, in Kabul on 11 March. The pair can clearly be seen: they are young, clean-shaven and with short hair. Yet who they might be and why they killed the award-winning journalist still remains a mystery. The […]

War and Peace Read more

Dividing the Field: Who shapes the electoral landscape in a Herat township – and how?

S Reza Kazemi •

In Herat, elders have divided a township into areas supporting different presidential contenders. They are motivated by financial and other benefits and a desire to end up on the winning side in any case. But they are also divided, mainly along political party lines. This heralds the coming of potentially highly contested presidential and provincial […]

Political Landscape Read more
Photo: Pajhwok Afghan News, 2013

Cure or Curse? Implications of the Kilij mine closure for Bamyan’s security situation

Jalil Benish •

As Afghanistan prepares to take full responsibility for security and state functions by the end of 2014, the country’s natural resources are often touted as a major source of future state revenue to substitute for dwindling international aid. There are, however, concerns regarding the ability and willingness of the Afghan government to ensure that extraction is […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

Will We Ever Learn? An evaluation of US aid in Afghanistan

AAN Team •

International assistance is coming under ever closer scrutiny. In response, to understand the impact of assistance and ensure transparency and accountability, thousands of project documents are generated, evaluations conducted and reports written. All contain lessons aimed at informing the development of future assistance programmes. With regard to Afghanistan, as 2014 marks the withdrawal of international […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

Changing of the Guards: Is the APPF program coming to an end?

Fabrizio Foschini •

In 2014, the performance of the Afghan National Army (ANA) will be under intense scrutiny. However, it is also high time for another key element of the Afghan security set up to be evaluated: the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF). The 20,000 men strong, state run security program in the past two years has – with […]

International Engagement Read more

‘Pen’ Joins ‘Radio’: Qayyum Karzai gives his support to Zalmai Rassul

Kate Clark • Thomas Ruttig •

Qayyum Karzai has announced he will be supporting the campaign of former foreign minister and national security advisor, Zalmai Rassul, in a “unification” of their presidential campaigns. This has given a significant boost to Rassul’s bid for Afghanistan’s highest office, by removing one of the two men considered to be a possible Palace choice. Indeed, […]

Political Landscape Read more

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