Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Posts tagged: US

US

After 12 years, £390bn, and countless dead, we leave poverty, fraud – and the Taliban in Afghanistan

Thomas Ruttig •

The Independent, 12 January 2014 The author in the leading British daily quotes extensively from what he calls “a damning study of the outcome of 12 years of international intervention in Afghanistan by Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network in Kabul” that underscroes “that US and British military [and may i add – political] […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Fear, Hope and Determination: Afghanistan and the 2014 Syndrome

Martine van Bijlert •

Ever since in 2011 President Obama announced his timeline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the prospect of 2014 has been looming ominously over the country. And now we are here, at the beginning of this almost mythical year. There is nervousness and fear, but also pushback, with some Afghans believing that the […]

Political Landscape Read more

“Terrorgefangene“ in Afghanistan frei: Karsai überstimmt Obama

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung (Berlin/online), 10 January 2013 Op-ed article by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on President Karzai’s decision to release 72 Afghan detainees declared “dangerous” by the US government from Bagram (in German).

AAN in the Media Read more

I worked on the US drone program. The public should know what really goes on

AAN •

Guardian Weekly, 3-9 January 2014 A commentary with a self-explanatory headline by a former imegary analysts with the US air force. She writes: "The US and British militaries insist that this is an expert program, but it's curious that they feel the need to deliver faulty information, few or no statistics about civilian deaths and twisted technology reports on the […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Innocent, guilty – useful? What’s behind the US-Afghan clash over 88 prisoners from Bagram

AAN Guests • AAN Team •

The Afghan government announced yesterday (7 January) that it would go ahead with the release of 88 Taleban prisoners from Bagram despite US objections. American politicians, including two senior US senators who visited Kabul in early January, have warned of further damage to US-Afghan bilateral relations if the prisoner release goes forward. The issue has […]

War and Peace Read more

A Yes, a Maybe and a Threat of Migration: The BSA loya jirga’s last day

Kate Clark •

Whoever expected clarity and a swift signing of the US-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) following the consultative loya jirga will be disappointed. The heads of the 50 committees duly reported back on this final day with a unanimity of views which strongly suggested prior coordination; all supported and almost all urged President Karzai to sign […]

War and Peace Read more

The Nerkh Killings: The problem with ‘immunity’ for US soldiers

Kate Clark •

Revelations concerning the alleged involvement of US soldiers in the forced disappearance, murder and torture of Afghans in the Nerkh district of Wardak a year ago keep surfacing. The US insists its forces come only under US legal jurisdiction, that they are ‘immune’ from Afghan courts and that it will investigate any wrongdoing by its […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

The Road Through Qatar: Opportunities and hurdles for a political solution in Afghanistan

Thomas Ruttig •

Central Asia and the Caucasus, 03-04/2013 In its Afghanistan-special, the Sweden-based academic journal published an article by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig. Only abstract accessible online: “While a military solution in Afghanistan has failed, the search for a political solution that includes the insurgent Taliban movement has not yielded any significant results, despite initial U.S.-Taliban contacts in […]

External publications Read more

Can Kabul Carry Two Melons in One Hand? Afghanistan and Iran sign strategic cooperation document

Thomas Ruttig •

Almost unnoticed by the international media, Afghanistan and Iran have signed a “Strategic Cooperation Agreement” during President Karzai’s recent trip to Tehran. The document includes provisions on bilateral military, intelligence and economic cooperation. The sequence indicates importance; the agreement is mainly a security agreement. However, it also contains ideas for a number of trilateral extensions […]

Regional Relations Read more

President Rouhani’s Election: Potential impact on Iran’s relations with Afghanistan

Bruce Koepke •

On 3 August 2013, Hassan Rouhani, the seventh president of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be officially endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and inaugurated by the Majlis, Iran’s parliament, the following day. AAN Guest Author Bruce Koepke explores the potential impact of his Presidency on Iran’s relations with Afghanistan, in the aftermath […]

Regional Relations Read more

Who Played Havoc with the Qatar Talks? Five possible scenarios to explain the mess

Borhan Osman • Kate Clark •

The bizarre turn of events following the opening of the Taleban office in Doha has led many to wonder whether the affair could have been deliberately sabotaged. Was it possible it had just been badly handled? So rapidly did the optimism about potential talks give way to bewilderment at their suspension, and the Taleban’s re-appearance […]

War and Peace Read more

Winding Down or in for the Long Haul? The emergence of a new US counter-terrorism strategy

Kate Clark •

The great behemoth of US counter-terrorism strategy is shifting. President Barack Obama has said he wants to end the war, not just in Afghanistan, but also, ultimately against al-Qaida. Congress has also been making its first attempts to claw back some of the unprecedented powers it gave the president to wage war when, just after […]

International Engagement Read more

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