Michael Hughes: Pakistani officials recently had a golden opportunity to provide Afghan counterparts a glimmer of hope that a ceasefire with the Taliban was a possibility. A gesture of any sort would have been uplifting, considering the militant group has shown no signs that they will let up on their offensives inside Afghanistan, despite the
Bloomberg (Editorial): Trump would clearly prefer to get troop levels to zero. That’s the wrong goal. The U.S. still has important interests in the region, including preventing terrorist attacks, keeping oil supplies flowing and limiting Iran’s sway beyond its borders. Click here to read more (external link).
Michael Hughes: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a speech at a virtual think tank event in Washington suggested that the U.S. accomplished its chief objective in Afghanistan because it has decimated al-Qaeda. Pompeo, who certainly has a clear motive for painting a rosy picture, misleads by suggesting al-Qaeda’s strength is reducible to the number of
Xinhua: Afghan political experts have described the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan as a failure. “The so-called U.S.-led war against the Taliban, al-Qaida and terrorist groups has failed to root out the insurgents and bring about peace in Afghanistan,” renowned analyst Shamsul Haq Arianfar told Xinhua. Aimed at dethroning the Taliban regime, demolishing al-Qaida
TRT World: The Taliban denies any involvement in targeting Saleh, but experts think the latest attack was aimed at ‘poisoning’ the upcoming intra-Afghan talks. Saleh, the 46-year-old former intelligence chief, has fought with different enemies ranging from the communist Soviet Union occupiers, to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. In the past decade, he has shown
Michael Hughes: The road to peace in Afghanistan, whether anyone likes it or not, runs through Kashmir, Rawalpindi and Islamabad – and in that order. However, there are recent signs that elements within this chain may be willing to contribute to the advancement of reconciliation in Afghanistan. But are these signs legitimate or simply Michael Jordan
Michael Hughes: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Afghan authorities reached an agreement that would provide the country access to $364 million in credit over the next 3.5 years if actions are taken to improve transparency and reduce corruption. The announcement comes as the Afghan government is under fire again for rampant corruption, including allegations of abusing
Amin Saikal: The endurance reflected in the oft-quoted Taliban taunt to the Americans, ‘You have the watches, but we have the time’, is evidently paying off. The United States and its allies have reached a point of exhaustion in Afghanistan. President Donald Trump, a longstanding critic of America’s Afghan adventure, has firmly acted to bring
FP: The country’s former occupier is using Kremlin-backed media to fuel anger toward the United States. Russia’s disinformation seeks to increase Afghan support for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and fuel suspicions about the intentions of the residual U.S. security force presence in postwar Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
“The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On the Social Contract (1762) Michael Hughes: The Taliban’s leader – in too many words – essentially signaled that the insurgent group will not rest until a Wahhabi-style theocracy is established in Kabul,