Daily Archives: March 30, 2019

Governance Issues in Afghanistan

May 14, 2013 By Mujib R. Abid, Researcher 1.Introduction: Governance in Afghanistan has had serious downfalls and is suffering from rampant corruption, weak rule of law, limited sub-national governance, and a stumbling national government. Revealing facts such as the country’s highly unbalanced population (60% under the age of 25)andthe resurgent ethnic tensions coupled with alarming

Neo-liberal State-building and Displacement of the Afghan State

Jan 16, 2013 By Dr Zubair Popalzai, Deputy Head of Research The post-Taleban state-building exercise in Afghanistan facilitated and led by the United States and, to a degree, sustained by the Europeans has been informed by an overwhelming emphasis on an enabling environment for the markets as opposed to the stability of the government. Huntington

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

Go to Top