Writing day in and day out about the collapse of this and the fall-out from that, it can be difficult to step back and assess where we are in Afghanistan’s broader narrative. I promise you that today, the soldiering attempt to seek some clarity in Afghanistan’s historical trajectory will break your heart. The photographs that […]
Today’s news of the friendly fire incident reported by the New York Times could not have come at a more inopportune time. Of course, bad news seldom arrives at one’s doorstep at an opportune time. Afghan soldiers waiting to ambush Taliban militants were bombed by NATO war planes. No doubt a grievous result of […]
Like other countries, Afghanistan also celebrates 5th of May “The International World Press Freedom Day”. It is a day to remind the government the duty to respect and uphold the rights to the freedom of press. It’s a day that the country should stand up and say we are democratic and freedom of speech is […]
It is not too much to think that in the last few weeks the ground beneath their feet has shifted for the military and political teams charged with delivering U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. General Stanley McChrystal’s hasty, and ill-becoming dismissal from office has given cause for recrimination that only a few weeks ago […]
I’ll be headed out on a two week vacation tomorrow and will likely not be posting during that period. Don’t cry, Tahera will still be here and I’m not leaving you empty handed. Look down. Yes, some super cool Afghan-related articles to check out! So enjoy these pieces and have a happy American Independence Day. […]
Just a couple items and recommendations: First, I highly recommend checking out this the first part of the New York Times coverage of the deployment of the First Battalion, 87th Infantry. The Times will follow this battalion for the next year as they head to the increasingly restive provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan in Afghanistan’s […]
It looks like Afghanistan does not only have estimated $3 trillion untapped minerals, but also has hidden historical pieces like Buddha’s sculpture. People believed Bamyan was the only province where Buddhiests made their living centuries back, but Ministry of Information and Culture just discovered other precious pieces of Buddhas in south of Kabul in Shadah-i-Salihin […]
Here are a few observations from Michael Hasting’s Rolling Stone article Obama-McChrystal seemed to be on same page in terms of actual Afghanistan war strategy/policy – This has been an underreported aspect of the whole incident. McChrystal and his aides were mainly critiquing (if ‘bite me’ is a critique) the political process and not the […]
President Obama did as good a job as was possible in his short speech to the country on Gen. McChrystal’s dismissal and the placement of Gen. Petraeus as the leader of all foreign military forces in Afghanistan. In his talk, President Obama emphasized that this was a change in military leadership and not one of […]
Afghanistan is so boring to cover. Sometimes I just sit at my desk screaming in my head ‘SOMETHING HAPPEN ALREADY!!!’ So Gen. McChrystal is now a goner and Gen. Petraeus is back to save the day yet again. Anyway you cut it, this is a sad situation that can only make a difficult situation even […]
Michael Hastings’s article about Gen. McChrystal and the Afghanistan war effort has not only created quite a stir, but may even cost Gen. McChrystal his job as the leader of all armed forces in Afghanistan. While, I will write more on this important story tonight, I’ll give a few thoughts now. First off, I think […]
Continuing the topic of partisan (Democratic, Republican, conservative, liberal, realist, idealist, etc.) viewpoints on the US strategy in Afghanistan, here are two different takes on our current policy from within the conservative camp. First is Washington Post journalist George Will, who famously took on a ‘realist’ argument that a large counterinsurgent effort in the country was […]
Update: Ouch! Both the New York Times and Washington Post have major stories today portraying a fraying confidence in the Obama administration’s Afghan policy. Read both now! In the American news, the words ‘Afghanistan’ has been followed by ‘deaths’, ‘setbacks’, ‘corruption’, etc. far too often of late. American and NATO deaths have been rising in […]
If you are in the New York Area, I recommend checking out these two films at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival being held at the Lincoln Center: CAMP VICTORY, AFGHANISTAN explores the reality of building a functioning Afghan military; RESTREPO chronicles the deployment of a platoon of US marines in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, […]
Update: The New York Times paper addition this morning featured a large picture of two American servicemen in Afghanistan with a caption detailing the loss of 10 NATO troops yesterday. This was positive to see, though the story of the deadly incidents was not on the front page. Continuing our Disappearing Wars thread: Today 10 […]