Hamid Karsai
All topics-
Afghanistan under the Taliban
Back to the past
One year ago the Taliban returned to power, seizing Kabul; the U.S. and its allies made a panicked exit from the country. Of all the books written on the subject, four stand out from the crowd. By Tobias Matern
-
The Longest War – 20 years of the "War on Terror"
Afghanistan: Emran Feroz' chronology of a disaster
The "War on Terror" has not only failed in Afghanistan, it has exacerbated insecurity and generated more terrorism. This is the main thrust of journalist Emran Feroz in his book, which was published, appropriately enough, 20 years after the attacks of 11 September 2001 and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan by the USA and NATO. Behnam Said read the book for Qantara.de
-
"Neo-Taliban" in Afghanistan?
Democracy Taliban-style
In league with the village mullahs: the Taliban have taken Afghanistan by storm. The rebels' victory is the result of a social revolution in Afghanistan, writes Joseph Croitoru in his analysis
-
The West's neo-colonialism
Why nation-building failed in Afghanistan
Although the United States clearly could have done a better job of managing its departure from Afghanistan, the tragedy playing out this month has been 20 years in the making. From the outset, America and its allies embraced – and never reconsidered – a top-down state-building strategy that was always destined to fail. Commentary by Daron Acemoglu
-
Afghanistan and Iran
Can Iran be friends with the Taliban?
One thing the regime in Tehran has in common with the Taliban is that they both dislike the USA. But apart from that, Tehran has a number of issues with its neighbour, writes Katajun Amirpur, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Cologne
-
Turkish foreign policy
Ankara – new guarantor of stability on the Hindu Kush?
Ankara's foreign policy apparatus is currently running at top speed. While politicians in the West busy themselves with evacuating Kabul and analysing the chaos, which not even optimists would term effective crisis management, Erdogan's Turkey seems to be one step ahead. By Ronald Meinardus
-
Raw materials attract China
Why Afghanistan should be filthy rich
To date, the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade. Now the militant group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy. Background by Nik Martin
-
Taliban in the ascendant
Joe Biden and America’s withdrawal of choice
The swift fall of Kabul recalls the ignominious fall of Saigon in 1975. Beyond the local consequences – widespread reprisals, harsh repression of women and girls, and massive refugee flows – America’s strategic and moral failure in Afghanistan will reinforce questions about U.S. reliability among friends and foes alike. By Richard Haass
-
The West's failure in Afghanistan
Authors of 'War on Terror' in denial to the bitter end
How could the Afghan government and its institutions collapse so quickly? That things were going wrong in Afghanistan had been obvious for a long time, yet the West preferred to look the other way, writes Emran Feroz
-
U.S.-Taliban peace deal
Bleak days in Afghanistan
Developments in recent days have revealed – unsurprisingly – that Donald Trump's recent "peace deal" with the Taliban is barely worth the paper it was written on. What is clear, however, is that the next president of Afghanistan, whoever that may be, will inherit a nation that has long since ceased to function. Emran Feroz reports from Mussahi
-
Afghanistanʹs political future
Is peace with the Taliban possible?
Despite ongoing peace negotiations between the United States and the Taliban, the bloody conflict in Afghanistan continues to take a heavy toll on the country’s people. Can talks with the Taliban really bring about peace? By Amin Saikal
-
Interview with filmmaker Mariam Ghani
The power of propaganda
In "What We Left Unfinished", Afghan-Lebanese-American filmmaker Mariam Ghani discusses the forgotten era of Afghan Communism and its ties to arts, culture and propaganda. Interview by Emran Feroz