AFGHANISTAN
A view from Kabul: Obstacle to Afghan peace
0 comments | by Imtiaz Gul
The intra-Afghan peace talks are up against multiple internal and external challenges. There has been a surge in Taliban attacks alongside increasingly conflicting views on the peace process within Afghanistan’s National Unity Government – reflected in the pro-Karzai and pro-Ghani camps. Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), have intensified their
Read Full ArticleTaliban are talking from a position of strength
0 comments | by Salman Rafi Sheikh
While the US-Taliban talks are of paramount importance in terms of bringing the 17 years old war to an end, there remains little to deny that even after fighting this war for such a long period and inflicting unimaginable loss of life and property on the country, the US has been unable to achieve even its initial objectives i.e., dismantling the Taliban. And therefore
Read Full Article0 comments | by Conn Hallinan
The news that the Americans recently held face-to-face talks with the Taliban suggests that longest war in US history may have reached a turning point, although the road to such a peace is long, rocky and plagued with as many improvised explosive devices as the highway from Kandahar to Kabul. That the 17-year old war has reached a tipping point seems clear. The Taliba
Read Full ArticleShifting geopolitical realities in Afghanistan.
0 comments | by Fraidoon Amel
Shifting geopolitical realities in Afghanistan. Threat to US hegemony? The military intervention by any nation into another sovereign nation is imperialism, whether it is done by Americans, Soviets, or Indians. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was as indefensible as the later American invasion of Iraq. Indian i
Read Full ArticleWashington Prepares New Escalation as Afghanistan
1 comments | by Bill Van Auken
The Trump administration is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 more US troops to Afghanistan over the coming months amid mounting signs that the 16-year-old US war and occupation is confronting its gravest crisis since the invasion of October 2001. In his first State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump boasted of having given “our warriors in Afghanistan … new rules
Read Full ArticleElection Results Could be Good for Pakistan, Bad for US
0 comments | by Graham E. Fuller
A bold new political face has come to power in the recent Pakistani elections, possibly offering the US a new opportunity in that country. Sadly the opportunity will likely be squandered—again. There’s something about Pakistani and US interests that seem doomed to collision course—mainly because Pakistan’s national interests are rarely what the US thinks they should be. Pakistanis themselv
Read Full ArticleAfter Key China-Russia-Iran-Pakistan Meeting
0 comments | by Mapping the Taliban
Last week saw a historic meeting in Islamabad between the intelligence chiefs of China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran. While the details of the meeting were not disclosed beyond statements implying that counter-terrorism was a dominating theme, it is a safe assumption that the war in Afghanistan was a major topic of discussion. Today, following on from the intelligence shared between national partners
Read Full ArticlePakistan’s “Greylisting” as a Terror Sponsor Should be
0 comments | by Adam Garrie
Pakistan’s “Greylisting” as a Terror Sponsor Should be a Catalyst for Intensified Relations with China, Russia and Iran Pakistan’s war on terrorism: A misunderstood history At an international level, Pakistan’s role in fighting terrorism continues to be not only misunderstood but totally misrepresented. As a perennial victim of both terrorist spillover from the instability of neighbour
Read Full ArticleTerrorism and Islam: Correlation Is Not Causation
0 comments | by Nauman Sadiq
Since the time immemorial, it has been an article of faith of every Muslim that suicide is ‘Haram’ (prohibited) in Islam. There is a well-known Islamic precept that whoever commits suicide will go straight to hell. But the Takfiri (those who declare others as heretics) have invented a new interpretation of Islam in which suicide is glorified as ‘ma
Read Full ArticlePakistan and Afghanistan - Epicentres of Geopolitical Intrigue
0 comments | by Chris Kanthan
The U.S. wants to stay in Afghanistan for geopolitical reasons – to have a footprint against China, Russia and Iran. Thus, it’s not in the best interest of the U.S. to have a peaceful, stable Afghanistan. As long as there’s chaos in Afghanistan, there’s a justification for U.S. military bases. It’s the classic Problem-Reaction-S
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