Bloomberg: If you’re not going anywhere no matter what happens, or what price you’re forced to pay, you can outlast superpowers – The story of two superpower invasions of Afghanistan is all about the similarities that end up erasing the undeniable differences. Click here to read more (external link).
Obaidullah Baheer Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 8, 2021 A civil war in Afghanistan seems increasingly probable amid the withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban’s unwillingness to compromise, and the Afghan elites’ inability to come to a consensus. But we shouldn’t give up hope for peace or stop discussing how to make such a peace
Michael Hughes: On the very same day then-President George W. Bush delivered his “Mission-Accomplished-in-Iraq” speech, his Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, declared that major U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan had “clearly” moved into stabilization mode. “The bulk of this country today is permissive, it’s secure,” Rumsfeld told reporters during a visit to Kabul on May 1,
Tolo News: Currently, there are around 36,000 religious seminaries in Pakistan functioning as factories to produce Taliban. It is a big and thriving industry, patronized by the military and run by the religious elites with huge investments from the Middle East. A good number of students here are still Afghans who have been used (and
Michael Hughes: Is Islamabad once again playing a slick double game? Pakistani military and diplomatic leaders continue to claim publicly that the only way to end the Afghan conflict is via a peaceful political resolution just as their alleged minions, the Taliban, are by the hour positioning themselves to capture Kabul. Click here to read
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 31, 2021 By Raghav Sharma The current period in Afghanistan has drawn comparisons to the 1990s in the country. As the United States withdraws its remaining troops, the Afghan political elite continues to fracture, and the government loses territory to a Taliban bent on challenging the legitimacy of the republic, India
The American Conservative: To his credit, President Joe Biden decided to pull American troops out of Afghanistan by September. However, they aren’t out yet. And President Donald Trump’s struggle against his own staff and the military brass demonstrates the power of Washington, D.C.’s war lobby. If there is conflict anywhere in the world, the latter
Ashraf Ghani via Foreign Affairs: President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September represents a turning point for the country and our neighbors. The Afghan government respects the decision and views it as a moment of both opportunity and risk for itself, for Afghans, for the Taliban, and
Michael Hughes: The so-called “extended” troika after talks in Doha on Friday called on the Ghani administration to enter into negotiations with the Taliban in a bid to accelerate a political solution to the conflict. However, just as the troika was releasing its statement, top Afghan government officials accused the Taliban and Pakistan of collaborating
