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.

Comeback of Some Well-Known Faces: Election-related cabinet mini-reshuffle

Thomas Ruttig •

President Karzai has appointed five new ministers to fill the voids left in his cabinet by the incumbents resigning to join the presidential race. His 28 October mini-reshuffle in the cabinet brings back some long-standing allies, two relative newcomers and one controversial figure. AAN analysts, Thomas Ruttig, Gran Hewad and Kate Clark, have been looking […]

Political Landscape Read more

Pluralistic within Limits, but Not Democratic: Afghanistan’s political landscape before the 2014 elections

Thomas Ruttig •

A look at the broad variety of (potential) presidential candidates seems to indicate some political pluralism. This is an illusion, however. Afghan analysts have recently argued that President Karzai’s political approach has hampered democratic party-based politics. This is only one side of the coin, argues AAN’s senior analyst Thomas Ruttig. He explains that the other […]

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And Then They Were Ten: Preliminary final list of presidential candidates out

Kate Clark •

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has purged the list of presidential hopefuls for the 2014 election from 27 candidates to 10, saying the rest had failed to meet the criteria for standing. It said they either had second nationalities or had failed to amass enough voter cards to support their candidacy. Those who have been […]

Political Landscape Read more

The Lion Roars Again: BSA, Loya Jirga and a strong sense of déjà vu

Kate Clark •

Preparations are underway for the ‘consultative Loya Jirga’ which will meet in a month’s time, as the first step in deciding whether Afghanistan signs a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States. The Afghan parliament will then either approve or reject the agreement. All this pushes the decision way past the 31 October deadline […]

War and Peace Read more

On the Run without Aid: The much delayed policy on Afghanistan’s internally displaced

Christine Roehrs •

Much has been reported on the plight of Afghanistan’s internally displaced persons (IDPs), their miserable life in informal settlements, and their lack of access to income, education and health care. Actions, however, have been scarce, both nationally and internationally. They have been often humanitarian in nature only and mostly short term. This is also because the […]

Migration Read more

Guts, Prettily Coiled: A guide to Eid sacrifices

Christine Roehrs •

Today is Eid al Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, the most important religious holiday in the Afghan calendar. In millions of yards across the country, Afghans will slit the throats of cows or sheep in remembrance of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in submission to God’s command and of the lamb which […]

Context and Culture Read more

A Very Happy Eid-e Qurban!

AAN Team •

Here at AAN, we’d like to wish all our dear readers a very happy Eid-e Qurban and for Afghanistan peace in the coming year. We marked the last Eid with a celebratory dispatch of ten stories from Afghans on their customs and memories of Eid al-Fitr. Today, we are publishing a report from AAN analyst Christine Roehrs […]

Context and Culture Read more

Not Signed and Sealed Just Yet: Kerry and Karzai’s deal on the Bilateral Security Agreement

Kate Clark •

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, has flown home with the basis of a Bilateral Security Agreement in his pocket, finally thrashed out with President Hamed Karzai. On this depends continuing US and NATO missions after 2014. Negotiations on the deal have been long and painful, AAN senior analyst Kate Clark reports, because […]

War and Peace Read more

Talebs in Tajikistan? Part 2 on the alleged IMU-Taleban nexus

Thomas Ruttig •

If one listens to ISAF and to Central Asian governments, there are overlapping networks of jihadist terrorists subverting Afghanistan and Tajikistan, if not the whole region. Few of these reports are substantiated by details that can be independently scrutinised. But they are often picked up by media and other outlets, presented as proven facts and […]

Regional Relations Read more

Talebs in Tajikistan? The ‘terrorist spill-over’ hype

Thomas Ruttig •

If one listens to ISAF and to Central Asian governments, there are overlapping networks of jihadist terrorists subverting Afghanistan and Tajikistan, if not the whole region. Those networks, it is said, link the Taleban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) with al-Qaeda and other Pakistan-based groups. Few of these reports are substantiated by details […]

Regional Relations Read more

A Leader Apologises: General Dostum, elections and war crimes

Kate Clark •

For the first time, a senior Afghan has made a public apology to those of his compatriots who suffered during the war. General Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of the largely Uzbek Jombesh party / ex military faction, made the statement a day after registering as running mate to Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in the presidential elections. […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

The Last Minute Frenzy of Afghanistan’s Candidate Registration

Martine van Bijlert •

The registration for Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential election continued until the very late hours of 6 October 2013. Although it was to be expected that the political horse-trading and deal-making would continue until the last minute, the scramble that finally ensued took everybody by surprise and mixed up all electoral alliances that had been forged in the weeks before. The AAN team […]

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