Yearly Archives: 2019

US-Afghan Security Agreement: Competing Notions of Sovereignty? (Part I)

Jan 16, 2013 By Mallory Sutika Sipus, Senior Research Analyst On 2 May 2012, US President Barak Obama and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan signed a Joint Partnership Agreement (JPA) that reiterated the two countries’ shared commitment to Afghanistan’s future and a continued diplomatic partnership between nations. More importantly, the partnership agreement called for the

Strengthening Sino-Afghan Relations: Cause for Concern?

Oct 09, 2012 By Mallory Sutika Sipus On 23 September 2012, several years of progressively strengthening Sino-Afghan relations were cemented when President Hamid Karzai received a visit from Zhou Yongkang, China’s Domestic Security Chief and a member of the Politiburo of the Communist Party.  While the visit was unannounced publically, it signified the first visit

Afghanistan’s Democracy: A Sustainable Long-term Goal?

Oct 04, 2012 By: Khatira Zearmal One of Afghanistan’s policy aims is to become a pluralist democracy ; however, there is a mounting fear as to what will happen after NATO forces hand over control to the Afghan government and by extension, to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) who will henceforth maintain peace and

Indian-Pakistani competition in Afghanistan: Thin line for Afghanistan?

Jan 31, 2012 By: Brian R. Kerr Indian and Pakistani competition for influence in Afghanistan is not a recent phenomenon. Ever since the partition of South Asia and the creation of the Durand Line, India and Pakistan have been grappling for influence over their historically weaker neighbour, Afghanistan. Academic work on Indian-Pakistani competition has waxed

Consequences of Taliban Office in Qatar 

Jan 31, 2012 By: Sayed Maisam Wahidi Taliban ruled around 90 percent of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and installed a radical Islamic regime. At that time, Taliban’s defeat by the Afghan resistance groups seemed elusive but the incident of 9/11 and Taliban’s loyalty to Al-Qaida led to the collapse of their regime by US

Who should we call political or partisan opposition in Afghanistan? 

Oct 27, 2011 By Sayed Maisam Wahidi In the present political situation, ‘opposition’ is a new and popular term in the literature of Afghan politics. Opposition manifests itself in divergence of opinions between the government and its people. Sometimes, opposition could appear in a sophisticated and organized political party and sometimes opposition movements flow and

Opportunities for Economic Growth in Afghanistan

Oct 27, 2011 By Abdullah Sarwary Economically speaking, Afghanistan is a weak state. The 2011 Ease of Doing Business Report by the World Bank ranked Afghanistan one of the most difficult countries (167 out of 183) in which to do business. Also according to the World Bank, 97% of Afghan Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is

Iran: the winner ten years after 9-11?

Sep 10, 2011 By: Samuel Chan   September 11, 2001 (9-11) stands out as a day of infamy in world history. Those of age undoubtedly recall their whereabouts as iconic images of the nefarious attacks on New York and Washington flashed repeatedly across television screens. Amidst global sympathies there was widespread support for the US-led military

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