Michael Hughes: The first question to ask about recent unconfirmed allegations of China paying non-state actors to target American troops in Afghanistan is the following: If they amount to mere rumors, as U.S. officials have admitted, why are they being declassified and made public? Chinese officials have argued that the allegations were revealed in order
The Tribune: “America is delegitimising democracy in Afghanistan. They want a puppet democracy. They are pushing Ghani (Ashraf Ghani) to give up the election. The Taliban is getting what they want. Pakistan is playing clever. They think that delegitimising democracy would create chaos in Afghanistan. Pakistan is maestro of chaos.” Click here to read more (external
The Guardian (UK): It’s nearly two weeks since Australian defence force chief Angus Campbell released the Brereton report, alleging war crimes perpetrated by Australians in Afghanistan. Two immensely difficult and challenging weeks not just for the ADF but for Afghan-Australians. Click here to read more (external link).
Michael Hughes: The record-pace extraction of US forces from Afghanistan after 20 years of lost blood and treasure is a significant historical accomplishment in the eyes of many Americans, especially when compared to how previous administrations in Washington have handled the conflict. However, as audacious as the endeavor was, it failed to achieve its number
The Atlantic: Since the day he entered office, President Donald Trump hasn’t been able to make up his mind about whether the United States should keep fighting in Afghanistan. His most recent decision to arbitrarily reduce U.S. troops’ presence to a nice, round number by January 15 was no different. Far from ending what he
Modern Diplomacy: Afghanistan is not only posing severe hurdles to neighbouring countries, but it is a menace to global peace. Notwithstanding, a full-fledged Afghan government, Taliban are accompanying with Al-Qaeda is the major key players in the region. They entirely disregard the policies of the government, also seeks to counterbalance the power politics in its
Michael Hughes: U.S. establishment politicians in both political parties, senior military leaders and the mainstream media are pulling out all the stops to ensure the United States remains on a near permanent war footing in places like Afghanistan and Syria. However, these designs took a serious blow recently when President Donald Trump replaced top Pentagon
The Hill: The Trump administration has fallen prey to the pitfalls of ending long wars. In the American experience, exit strategies begin as conditions-based plans but quickly become irresistible departure schedules. To hasten withdrawal from war-torn Afghanistan, the United States has signed an unenforceable agreement with the Taliban and left our Afghan allies holding the
Michael Hughes: President Donald Trump, down in the polls, has been aggressively trying to find an “October Surprise” – a news bomb or development that will shake the electoral terrain with less than three weeks until the November 3 election. His “Hail Mary” passes have included recycling the Ukraine nepotism scandal against Democratic rival Joe
Deccan Herald: With the changing geopolitical dynamic in the land of the Hindu Kush, the jury is still out in India on what its Afghanistan policy should be. Surprisingly, many former diplomats and geopolitical analysts opine that India must respond to the changed… Click here to read more (external link).