Blogs / Thomas Ruttig
Wikileaks, Strategic Communications and (Im-)Plausible Denials
Wikileaks, with its publication of some 75,000 classified US military documents on the war in Afghanistan on Sunday, has brilliantly made use of the summer slump. Instead of escaped crocodiles at lakes popular with swimmers (a favourite of the German media in former years) or silly ideas of backbenchers, we have been given the chance to have a newly energised debate about Afghanistan. i.e. what the West is doing there, for what purpose and – if we’re really good – what Afghans (not only Karzai and the Taleban) want. It just can be hoped that this is not, again, turned into a purely domestic debate with the aim of scoring cheap political points. Therefore, it might be useful to check what is really new in the leaked documents and what the leak signifies. read more »
posted: 29-07-2010
Talking Haqqani
‘Totally baseless, a lie and no truth in it’. This is what an Afghan presidential spokesman said after a not-too-unimportant TV station reported contacts between Kabul and the Haqqani network, the most ruthless outfit of the Afghan insurgency. Is there no fire at all for all the smoke? asks Thomas Ruttig. read more »
posted: 01-07-2010
Flash to the Past: Football under the Taleban (2) - Nobody Shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’
Kabul Olympic Stadium sometimes was turned in to an arena for executions and floggings under the Taleban regime. For this, it became world-famous. But to do the venue some justice, most of the time it was used for proper sports. Thomas Ruttig visited a match there - football in Afghanistan 2000: Air goals by funnily clad players on a brownish-green pitch, in front of war-damaged stands with bullet-riddled walls and steaming samowars. read more »
posted: 29-06-2010
At a snail’s pace towards a full cabinet (UPDATED)
President Karzai’s latest fill-up list for the cabinet is out. It has gone from the presidency to the parliament today (Saturday), as Afghan state TV confirmed. The President continues his piecemeal approach – and introduced candidates for only seven out of the 13 cabinet slots that are still open. Here an overview compiled by Thomas Ruttig, in cooperation with Gran Hewad. read more »
posted: 26-06-2010
The General in His Labyrinth
Sorry, the temptation to personalize is too big to drop such a headline. But in fact it’s the system, stupid, argues Thomas Ruttig on The General’s encounter with a rock music magazine. (Hum to the tone of Dr Hook’s famous hit ‘The Cover of the Rolling Stone’, lyrics below.) read more »
posted: 23-06-2010
A New Taleban Front?
The Taleban successfully have infiltrated Northern and Northeastern Afghanistan and destabilised certain areas, mainly in Kunduz province. Now, there are signs that they might attempt to push forward into mainly Hazara-settled areas the central region. The main road into Jaghori, an important Hazara area, has been blocked raising fears of a new economic blockade or event an attack. Thomas Ruttig looks at the first symptoms of this new development. read more »
posted: 18-06-2010
Congratulations, Francesc!
The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) conveys its best wishes to Ambassador Francesc Vendrell, Chairman of its Advisory Board, former Special Representative of the UN and the EU to and in Afghanistan, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Find below some of his selected statement, predictions, warnings – and also some regrets for misjudgements. read more »
posted: 15-06-2010
Afghanistan Has a Two-Party System Now
No, this is not a joke. It really has one, at least for a couple of days. Yesterday, 15 Jauza (5 June), was the last day for Afghanistan’s parties to re-register, as required by a law. The MoJ official responsible for party registration confirmed to AAN’s Kabul office that all the old licenses are invalid now. That means that all but two parties are now basically illegal. read more »
posted: 06-06-2010
PEACA JIRGA BLOG 9: A Déjà vu of Big Tent ‘Democracy’
A commentary ‘from the gut’ (1) about democracy and democracy deficits at the Kabul peace jirga, and of jirgas in general by Thomas Ruttig. read more »
posted: 04-06-2010
PEACE JIRGA BLOG 5: The Big Karzai Show
A first commentary on the beginning National Consultative Peace Jirga in Kabul by Thomas Ruttig read more »
posted: 02-06-2010
German President's Resignation (Not) Afghanistan-Linked
More News from the German Front: In a surprise move, without precedence in German post-war history, head of state (Bundespräsident) Horst Köhler stepped down from his office with immediate effect today after noon. His step was triggered by remarks he made on the return of his first trip to Afghanistan (after six years in the job). read more »
posted: 31-05-2010
News from the German Front: The West’s Afghan Policy ‘has failed’
Five German institutes draw a condemning conclusion about the West's policy in Afghanistan +++ Another institute alleges that the German government hides the larger portion of its Afghan military mission's cost +++ Germany's Minister of Defence does not know what happened to Afghans taken into custody and handed over to Afghan authorities +++ The 'German Taliban Mujahideen' - Mulla Omar's German branch read more »
posted: 30-05-2010
An Honest Transfer or ‘The Devil May Care’?
‘Transfer of Security Responsibility’ is one of the latest buzzwords in Afghanistan. It is part of the NATO strategy also sometimes described as ‘Afghanisation’. But, maybe, the latter resounds too closely with the term ‘Vietnamisation’. So, it is more probable that we will have to get used to yet another acronym: TSR. read more »
posted: 12-05-2010
Flash to the Past: Islamic Order à la Hekmatyar
The following statement was broadcast by HIG’s radio Payyam-e Azadi (Message of Freedom) in Pashto on 9 December 1994. read more »
posted: 24-03-2010
Gulbuddin ante portas - again (Updated)
After the Soviet troop had withdrawn in early 1989, leaflets turned up in Kabul signed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar announcing that he would ride into Kabul on the back of a white horse and pray in Pul-e Kheshti mosque. That made many Kabulis shiver. They said that the mujahedin leader was ‘worse than the Russians’ and would take revenge on everyone who had stayed with the ‘puppet government’. My neighbour, a Leningrad-trained former army officer who has resigned in 1979 in protest against the Soviet occupation, said he would pack his bags and leave. Now, Hekmatyar might be on his way to Kabul again. read more »
posted: 22-03-2010
How ‘neo’ were the ‘Neo-Taleban’?
Since the Taleban’s quick resurgence after the fall of their regime in 2001, their insurgency often is described with the term ‘Neo-Taleban’. Here it is argued, though, that there was more continuity than change from the pre-9/11 to the post-9/11 Taleban movement. The real ‘neo-Taleban’ might emerge now – after the arrest of accommodation-inclined Taleban leaders by Pakistan’s authorities. The main feature of these ‘neo-Taleban’ would be that they are tools in the hands of the ISI. read more »
posted: 05-03-2010
Political Parties in Re-Registration
On Monday, the six-month’s deadline for a re-registration of Afghanistan’s 110 registered political parties is ending. This is based on requirements of the new political parties law passed by the parliament in June 2009 already. After some back and forth between the executive and the legislative which led to some amendments in detail, the President signed it on 6 September 2009 and it was gazetted three days later, on 9 September. This is when the deadline for re-registration came into force. read more »
posted: 04-03-2010
Taleban Attack on Muhammad's Birthday
It was around 6.30 this morning when we were woken up by a violent blast. As it turned out, it was another of the ‘complex’ (or multiple) attacks using suicide bombers and ‘commandos’ armed with small arms for which the Taleban have regularly claimed responsibility. The main targets seem to have been two guesthouses in Shahr-e Nau used by Indian aid workers, next to the Safi Landmark hotel and City Centre, a shopping mall, both in one building. This big building – in which some Indian and Australian embassy staff live - also is heavily damaged. At least 15 people were killed, amongst them apparently at least four Indians. At 1 pm Kabul time, shots still could be heard from the area. It is particularly remarkable that the attack happened on Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, or Maulud-e Sharif, a religious holiday and mainly claimed Afghan (Muslim) casualties. read more »
posted: 26-02-2010
Elvis Ain’t Dead
He has been spotted in Marja (Helmand, Southern Afghanistan). The only problem is: Marja does not exist. Because it is not on Google Earth. And Operation Moshtarak in Helmand is a fake. But let me start from the beginning. read more »
posted: 25-02-2010
Recommended readings: 114,000 plus…
With the US troop surge and announcements at and around the London conference that additional troops will be deployed from other NATO countries, NATO and its allies are now exceeding the number of troops the Soviet Union had sent to occupy the country between 1979 and 1989. This does not include contractors from private military companies. This topic is addressed by a recent article in the Le Monde diplomatique – and we want to use the occasion to point to our new category ‘Recommended readings’ on the AAN website. Please click ‘Recommended readings’ under ‘links’. read more »
posted: 18-02-2010
Implications of Mulla Baradar’s Arrest
With Mulla Baradar the operational leader of the Taleban movement has been captured. Mulla Baradar – this is a nom-de-guerre and his real name is Abdul Ghani – had been appointed one of the two deputies of Mulla Muhammad Omar when the movement reorganized after its collapse in late 2001. read more »
posted: 16-02-2010
An Offensive Foretold
When I checked the BBC website last night after watching the world premiere of the reconstructed famous 1927 German silent movie ‘Metropolis’ (a 'don't miss' for all cineasts), the red ribbon for breaking news flashed: NATO and Afghan troops have started ‘Operation Moshtarak’ (Together) in Helmand. read more »
posted: 13-02-2010
Are We Afghanistan-Driven in London?
While the 70 or so delegations to the London conference are already sitting in Lancaster House, here some first thought about what is being discussed and what not. No claim to be exhaustive here. read more »
posted: 28-01-2010
Between Frustration and Bakhshishs
Another attempt to make sense of the Wolesi Jirga vote of saturday 16 January which confirmed seven of candidates of President Karzai's second list and rejected another ten. read more »
posted: 18-01-2010
AAN Myth Busters (II): Taleban = Pashtuns?
The Afghan government’s draft strategy for reconciliation with the Taleban and other insurgents to be published soon is heating up the discussion about talks to ‘moderate’ Taleban amongst Western politicians. While this discussion is useful, it is necessary to look at its background a bit more closely. read more »
posted: 15-01-2010
On Kunar’s Salafi Insurgents
Usually one needs two sources at least, but this one I find too interesting: A few days ago, on 9 January, the Taleban website Shahamat (which means ‘bravery’) reported that one of the smaller insurgent groups – theSalafi from Kunar – has pledged allegiance to Mulla Muhammad Omar. read more »
posted: 14-01-2010
A GoA Reconciliation Policy in the Making
The government of Afghanistan (GoA) has announced that it is working on its own reconciliation strategy with its armed opponents. This has been confirmed over the last few days both by Vice President Muhammad Karim Khalili and by the presidential spokesman Wahid Omar. read more »
posted: 13-01-2010
A First Glance at Karzai’s Second Choice
With surprising speed, President Karzai has submitted the second set of his ministerial candidates to the Afghan parliament for approval. Contrary to what had been expected by some in Kabul, the President refrained from re-introducing some of the candidates that were rejected by the Wolesi Jirga on 2 January. read more »
posted: 10-01-2010
A UN Postscript to the Provincial Council Elections
The following is everything the UN Secretary General and his Kabul rep Kai Eide have to say about the highly flawed provincial council elections. read more »
posted: 08-01-2010
AAN Myth Busters (I): ‘Afghans Always Fought Outsiders’
There are a couple of stereotypes about Afghanistan that simply refuse to go away. Instead, they are recycled in some media time and again. But it is particularly annoying when they appear in statements of politicians being elevated into some kind of eternal truth. Today, we start another series that attempts to deconstruct some of them – driven by a recent interview of the US Special AfPak envoy, Richard C. Holbrooke. read more »
posted: 08-01-2010
Read PASHTO MASHTO!
Blog-e newin-e Shabaka-ye Tahlilgaran-e Afghanistan be-khwaned! De AAN neway blog wu-lwalley! read more »
posted: 07-01-2010
An Ugly Kind of Security
The new security regulations announced in the US already draw criticism. Rightly so because they smell like racial and political profiling – plus a pinch of the bad old ‘axis of evil’ thinking. read more »
posted: 05-01-2010
What the Lakki Marwat Carnage Shows
With horror and disgust I was watching over the last days how the number of victims of a car-bomb detonated at a volleyball match in Shah Hassankhel village (Lakki Marwat area), close to South Waziristan, in Pakistan was steadily rising: 22, 32, 60, 75, 89, up to 93 Saturday afternoon. (No further reports from Sunday on, though.) read more »
posted: 04-01-2010
The Cabinet Vote: Confusion as Political Principle
A commentary --- No, the rejection of two thirds of his cabinet proposals by the Wolesi Jirga is no ‘slap in the face of Hamed Karzai’, as some media put it. On the contrary, it is a success for him. read more »
posted: 03-01-2010
Aid Workers and the Military
Let’s start 2010 with something positive: German chancellor Angela Merkel commended the work of civilian aid workers in Afghanistan in her New Year address, before mentioning policemen and soldiers. read more »
posted: 01-01-2010
Time to Work with Warlords? What?
I did not believe my eyes when I reviewed what the international media have printed about Afghanistan over Christmas: A fellow of a famous US university’s Human Rights Policy(!) institute proposes that it is ‘time to work with Afghan warlords’ (maybe not his own headline) and that ‘if President Hamid Karzai and his Western backers handle them right, they can be part of the solution’ (Boston Globe, 24 December). read more »
posted: 30-12-2009
Happy Christmas (But war isn’t over)
‘Happy Xmas (War is over)’ – this was John Lennon’s wish in his beautiful 1971 holiday’s single already. The ex-Beatle (killed already 29 years ago) wasn’t referring to Afghanistan, obviously, then. read more »
posted: 25-12-2009
Obituary Dr. Bernt Glatzer (by AGA)
The following obituary of our late Advisory Board member Dr Bernt Glatzer was published by (German) Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Afghanistan (AGA) [Scientific Working Group on Afghanistan] whose chairman Bernt was from 2001 to 2007. It cointains a comprehensive professional biography, including Bernt's major publications. read more »
posted: 23-12-2009
How Do Afghans Tick? (in memoriam Bernt Glatzer)
The following is the translation of an interview given by late Dr Bernt Glatzer to a Berlin daily newspaper in 2008. He talks about how he himself became involved in Afghanistan, gives his opinion about current events and covers the ethics of ethnologists in war. read more »
posted: 16-12-2009
BERNT GLATZER PASSED AWAY
With great shock and deep sadness, we have learnt about the sudden demise of our valued colleague and good friend Dr Bernt Glatzer, member of the AAN Advisory Board, in the night to 08 December at his home in Schriesheim, Germany, only a few days before his 67th birthday. read more »
posted: 14-12-2009
Afghanistan's democrats; from underground to marginalisation (MEI paper repost)
This is the second repost of an AAN contribution (without the footnotes) to the Middle East Institute's recent publication "Afghanistan 1979-2009. In the Grip of Conflict". Thomas Ruttig was one of the 53 experts who contributed essays on Afghanistan's much conflicted recent history. read more »
posted: 08-12-2009
Militia Sightings
Some see 'hopes of a large-scale tribal rebellion against the Taliban’ But how spontaneously did the new militias really emerge? Here are some reports on the new militias found in the international media (further contributions welcome). read more »
posted: 29-11-2009
Ghosts of Najibullah
With President Obama’s release of the new Afghanistan strategy ahead on Tuesday and first details coming out, parts of the puzzle fall into place. As it looks it will be less than the US 40,000 troops desired by Gen Mc Chrystal that will be sent to Afghanistan – probably some 30,000. read more »
posted: 28-11-2009
A meaningful Afghanistan conference needs civil society involvement
It apparently has been decided that the next international Afghanistan conference is to be held on 28 January in London. It might be followed by a second one in spring – perhaps March or April - in Kabul. But the latter is far from clear. read more »
posted: 25-11-2009
Kabul Diary (2): A Ring of Steel Sheets
Finally, the long expected rain is falling in Kabul. But what’s good for next year’s crops makes life miserable for people in the cities. And for the first time, there were hours-long complete traffic break-downs in Kabul yesterday and today afternoon. read more »
posted: 24-11-2009
A Suicide Attack in Uruzgan (UPDATED)
13 people killed by a suicide bomber. But who did it? Finding out what really is behind incidents like this one is extremely difficult. Facts are rare, versions and opinions, however, ample to find. read more »
posted: 23-11-2009
Surveyed: The Cost of War
The war-destroyed Dar-ul-Aman palace in the South of Kabul was the perfect venue for the presentation of the report ‘The Cost of War’ to the Afghan and international public. The palace, designed to house the first Afghan parliament established under King Amanullah (ruled 1919-29), never served its aim. Amanullah was toppled by a mulla-led and British financed tribal rebellion before it was finished. In the 1980s, the ruling Soviet-backed People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) made it the Defense Ministry and the civil war turned it into ruins. Also the timing was well chosen: one day before the swearing-in ceremony for President Hamed Karzai’s second term in office. read more »
posted: 19-11-2009
Militias - The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’s Genies (2): A Look Forward
The case of Abdul Razeq’s police-unit-cum-militia (see our recent blog ‘Militias 1’) should send a stark warning to those planning envisaging a new version of ‘community-based’ defence forces. It is not clear yet how this exactly will look like but it seems to be sure that it will come. A few titles, names and concepts swirl around in Kabul and the provinces again. read more »
posted: 20-11-2009
Militias - The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’s Genies (1): A Look Back
When I read Matthieu Aikins’ brilliant reportage in Harpers (‘The Master of Spin Boldak’) about the mutation of a 1980s tribal militia into a drug trafficking network that survives to the day, I was reminded of an episode in 1988. I was living in Wazir Akbar Khan then. Around the corner was the house of a former mujahedin leader who had switched sides to the government. read more »
posted: 18-11-2009
New Book: 'Empires of Mud'
Antonio Giustozzi is arguably the most studious and productive researcher and author on Afghan affairs. His output is based on insight won during intensive travels to the country far beyond the capital. read more »
posted: 08-11-2009
Prof. Rasul Amin passed away
AAN has just learned of the passing away of leading Afghan scholar and politician Professor Rasul Amin during a stay in Australia on 31 October at the age of 72 read more »
posted: 06-11-2009
AAN Election Blog No 39: Deeper into the One-Way Street
Not the pull-out of Karzai challenger Dr Abdullah brought the Afghan election process into a crisis. It was the irresponsible decision to hold a run-off within two weeks in a country like Afghanistan after the credibility of the first round had drowned in a flood over one million votes rigged in favour of Karzai. read more »
posted: 02-11-2009
The Guesthouse Attack and the Run-Off
This time it looks as if the Taleban really have managed to give the Afghan election – more precisely: its second round set for 7 November – its own turn. They already considerably influenced the first round of 20 August when they threatened attacks like cutting of inked fingers of voters but largely left polling sites – and with this uninvolved civilians – UN and election offices alone. read more »
posted: 29-10-2009
What possibly still could be done...
.... after the ‘Friends of Afghanistan’ anti-democratic 'consensus' read more »
posted: 02-10-2009
BREAKING NEWS: Ban Fires Galbraith
Watch the UN website tonight: The UN Security Council has decided to fire Peter W. Galbraith, the American deputy head of its Afghanistan mission UNAMA. An announcement by Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on this step is expected to be published tonight (GMT). read more »
posted: 29-09-2009
AAN Election Blog No 32: What Next in Afghanistan? (1)
What remained of a democratic process in Afghanistan had been brought to a halt with screeching brakes by the massive and systematic fraud on 20 August. read more »
posted: 20-09-2009
Kabul Diary (1): Glimpses of Kabul, Summer 2009
Blue sky over the Spinghar mountains through the airplane window. Small green fields along grey Kabul river. The tin roofs of Pul-e Charkhi reflecting the sun. read more »
posted: 12-09-2009
Hollow Excuses
'We apologize. It was a mistake. We regret the loss of innocent life.' How often have I heard these sentences after operations of NATO troops had caused – what a horrible trivialisation – 'collateral damage'. read more »
posted: 12-09-2009
An election observer speaks out
‘Really widespread fraud‘ has happened during the Afghan presidential election, says Gunter Mulack, a former German diplomat and director of the German Orient Institute in Hamburg; until a few days ago he was the chief political analyst of the EU election observer mission... read more »
posted: 10-09-2009
Another Day without an Orange Revolution
Quite some people here in Kabul – maybe internationals more than Afghans – had been looking forward to the day that just passed with mixes feelings. It was 9/9 – and ten years ago Ahmad Shah Massud, the leader of the Northern Alliance mujahedin was killed ... read more »
posted: 10-09-2009
Flash to the Past: Elections under Fire (12 Sept 2008)
All sides involved - the Kabul government, its Western allies, donors and the United Nations – pretend that almost everything’s in order at the Hindukush, apart from small hick-ups. The reality, however, looks different. read more »
posted: 08-09-2009
UNODC Sees Afghan Drug Cartels Emerging – With One Eye Closed
‘U.N. Sees Afghan Drug Cartels Emerging’, reads a headline in the 2 September issue of the New York Times. Now the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) got it. Or did it? read more »
posted: 05-09-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 29: ‘A fraud would go unnoticed’
Imagine it is election-day and someone else casts your vote. It is possible because in many polling stations no one will ask for your ID card. read more »
posted: 01-09-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 28: Two Paktias?
A member of the US PRT in Paktia also experienced that amazingly brilliant blue sky over Paktia. But the elections she saw were quite different from what I have experienced there. read more »
posted: 01-09-2009
Epistemology of Reconciliation
Read a report by Aunohita Mojumdar about the AIAS/USIP 26 August 2009 Kabul launch of Michael Semple's book ‘Reconciliation in Afghanistan’ with Nader Nadery from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and Thomas Ruttig from AAN on the podium under 'past events'. read more »
posted: 27-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 25: Balm for Election Sores
The partial results presented by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in a well-attended press conference today in Kabul are mainly meant to calm down the tense atmosphere of accusations and counter-accusations that has developed since E-Day by applying a dose of transparency. It does not say much about what the outcome of the elections will look like. read more »
posted: 25-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 24: Stuffing and Counting in Paktia
A few days after the election, Paktia is in counting mode. Results from the districts trickle in and are collected and reconcilied by the different candidates' campaigns. Also reports about a lot of irregularities are coming in, despite the low coverage of independent election observers. read more »
posted: 24-08-2009
A clarification
Some German-language media have quoted me over the past days as saying read more »
posted: 23-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 22: E-Day in P2K
Frankly, when I went to bed on E-Day eve in Gardez, on Wednesday, I wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to leave the UNAMA compound the next day to watch polling sites in Paktia province. A lot of people looked very sceptical when I mentioned this idea. Gardez centre was the maximum, almost everybody agreed. It was covered by a security box – whatever that meant. read more »
posted: 21-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 16: Impressions from P2K (3): Taleban Shut Down Bazaars in Paktika and Khost
The scenery was a bit like in those Westerns where the population has got wind that the really bad guys would ride into town soon. The sun was scorching down almost vertically, the wind drove plumes of dust and waste plastic bags down the main road while a single motorbike with two young chaps curved in from a side lane, defying a ban on all motorized vehicles imposed by the Taleban. Otherwise, the road was empty and the metal shutters were lowered in front of most of the shops. Sharana, centre of Paktika province in the South-East of Afghanistan, on an early Tuesday afternoon before a national holiday where usually a lot of shoppers are around. read more »
posted: 19-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 15: The Best Candidates’ Posters (3) - War & Peace Movements
The prize for the boldest election poster goes to Shahnawaz Tanai, another presidential candidate from the South-East, from Khost province to be precise where his Tani tribe dwells in the dry plains outside Khost town ‘where only stones grow in the field’ as a local friend describes it and in the chromite-(holding) hills to the South from where a less described smuggling business to Pakistan is thriving. read more »
posted: 18-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 14: Impressions from P2K (2): Floor Crossing and an Afghan Perspective
For someone who is used to think of Pashtuns as wild big guys with big beards and big noses, armed with Kalashnikovs, a stroll through the bazaar of Gardez today must have been shocking. With not only the presidential elections (on 20 August) but also the holy fasting month of Ramazan (on 21 August – if the moon-sighting works properly) approaching fast, most of them carried heavy plastic bags full with green cucumbers and tomatoes. With the woman mainly confined to the homes, the gentlemen are doing the shopping here. read more »
posted: 17-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 12: Impressions from P2K (1): Flying with Both Hands
Gardez makes true of its name – ‘dusty’. The capital of the South-eastern province of Paktia’s skyline, with the two characteristic cony hills and the Bala Hissar, the fort, on a third hill under which Buddhist remains are suspected are barely visible in the dust that is driven by the afternoon wind over the plateau 2300 meters above sea level. Particularly so the large compound close to the airfield that is still lined with the heavy weapons of militias and army units that were ‘cantoned’ at the start of the DDR program in 2003 – kilometres of artillery pieces, rocket launchers and armoured vehicles of Warsaw pact origin slowly rotting in the dry air. read more »
posted: 17-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 8: The Best Election Posters (2)
Today: Al-Haj Ustad Zakera Anwar – the power of Tide: The prize for the best location receives Ms Zakera Anwar, a Kabul provincial council candidate from Qala-ye Fathullah in the Afghan capital who calls herself an ‘independent’. She placed her poster in a grocery shop – next to a stack of washing powder. read more »
posted: 15-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 6: An Ink Issue Again?
During the 2004 presidential election, ink became an issue. Enraged losing candidates went as far as to demand that the vote be annulled because the ink supposedly did not work. Will it become an issue again? read more »
posted: 15-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 5: The Best Candidates' Posters (1)
In a loose series, AAN will introduce some of the best election posters and give some background on the respective candidates. Today: Foruzan Fana – positive vibrations and an unresolved murder. read more »
posted: 14-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 4: The Bag and the Donkey
The balance of Karzai‘s five year tenure for Afghanistan is devastating – but it is unfair to blame him alone. Indeed, the general framework has considerably improved in comparison to the Taleban era. read more »
posted: 13-08-2009
AAN Election Blog No. 1: Rockets over Kabul
Two days ago, my local radio station called me to describe how I experienced the recent rocket attack on Kabul early Tuesday (4 August) morning. read more »
posted: 07-08-2009
'The one thing you need to read about Afghanistan'
Recently, I came across a blog that recommended what to read about Afghanistan: a Kissinger op-ed, speeches of McCain and Spanta... But if you only read one thing about Afghanistan, it said enthusiastically, don’t miss the testimony of Marin Strmecki... read more »
posted: 06-08-2009
Beyond Taleban
Multiple suicide attacks in Gardez and Khost. July most bloody month ever for US forces in Afghanistan. More British troops to be deployed. Karzai’s empty chair at Tolo TV’s presidential candidates’ debate… Reporting about Afghanistan mainly focuses on security issues and elections currently. Very often, our own countries’ domestic politics overshadow the other reality, life of Afghans themselves. read more »
posted: 24-07-2009
Germans at the Front
“It couldn’t have come worse. It is mid-August 2009. American pilots bomb an Afghan village, many women and children die. The target for the attack was provided by the Germans.” [The German parliament is currently in the decision-making process about sending AWACS surveillance planes to Afghanistan.] read more »
posted: 30-06-2009