Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

AAN Team

Merry Christmas!

AAN Team •

Here at AAN, we’d like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas! May your holidays, in Afghanistan as well as abroad, be peaceful. And for those who remain in Kabul and wish to celebrate in style: as every year, fancy trees  are back again and sold, including decoration, on Flower Street in Shar-e Naw. Many […]

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A Very Happy Eid-e Qurban!

AAN Team •

Here at AAN, we’d like to wish all our readers a very happy Eid-e Qurban and that the upcoming year – and the long-awaited new government – may bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. For those who wish to learn more about Afghan Eid customs, have a look at this report about Eid sacrifices for Eid-e […]

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Happy Eid al Fitr!

AAN Team •

While many Afghans seem tired of the long electoral process, and despite the concerns and uncertainties felt by the Afghan people, we hope that the coming Eid Al Fitr can bring happy days to all. The Afghanistan Analysts Network wishes a very happy and peaceful Eid Al Fitr to all Muslims, and particularly to the […]

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Elections 2014 (36): Some key documents

AAN Team •

As an annex to AAN’s election reporting, please find below the text of two letters that the Abdullah camp sent to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on 25 June 2014, as well as the IEC’s answer the next day (annex 1) and the transcript to some of the main recordings that have been released by […]

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Elections 2014 (29): The second round election day in snapshots from the provinces

AAN Team •

How did the second round election day go? After our collection of voices from the provinces on the day before the vote (read here) as well as on the first round election day (see here), we continued to listen to our Afghan friends, analysts and acquaintances across the country. We asked them if they had been as eager to vote as […]

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Elections 2014 (27): Snapshots from the provinces before the second round vote

AAN Team •

How do Afghans feel about the second round of the presidential election ahead tomorrow, Saturday, 14 June? How do they perceive the security situation, the campaigning of the two contenders, the election authorities’ performance – and are they still as ready to go and cast a vote as many of them were in the first round? Like […]

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Election 2014 (23): Deals and insults in Afghanistan’s second round campaign

AAN Team •

Less than a week before the second round of the presidential election on 14 June 2014, the campaigns of both contenders are well under way. Alongside the main campaign methods of the first round – billboards, large public rallies – the process of deal-making and recruiting influential supporters seems to have now moved to the […]

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How good are Afghanistan’s private universities? An interview with the author of AAN’s latest paper

AAN Team •

AAN is launching its latest paper, looking at the state of Afghanistan’s private higher education sector (download paper here). Over the past five years, private universities have experienced an unprecedented boom. This is not only good news. In this interview, the author of the paper, Niamatullah Ibrahimi (*), an Afghan analysts who has extensively researched and written about current and […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

Elections 2014 (4): The election day in snapshots from the provinces

AAN Team •

How did election day go? After a first collection of voices from the provinces on the day before the vote (read here), we continued to hear from our friends and from journalists, civil society activists and government officials across the country. We asked them to describe what they saw in terms of voter turnout, atmosphere, fraud – […]

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Election 2014 (3): Snapshots from the provinces before the vote

AAN Team •

While the countdown to the vote is nearly finished, the situation ahead of it differs widely in the various parts of the country. Reports from the provinces can convey enthusiasm, insecurity, suspicions of fraud or just resignation. Depending on the person talking to you, they can become extremely detailed mappings of the security situation and […]

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Elections 2014 (1): Impressions from Kunduz at the eve of the elections

AAN Team •

The police chief launches operations to secure insurgency riddled districts. Campaign managers complain about the performance of the IEC. Militia commanders do their best to exhibit power, helping candidates to get more votes for money and incentives offered in case of victory. And then there are those candidates who peacefully compete for the trust of the people, ‘armed’ with […]

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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 […]

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