Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Toward Reconciliation In Afghanistan

Michael O'Hanlon, 'Toward Reconciliation In Afghanistan', Brookings Institution / The Washington Quarterly, 31 March 2009

EXCERPT: "How can we make sense of where the United States is in Afghanistan today? A poor country, wracked by 30 years of civil war, finds itself at the mercy of insurgents, terrorists, and narco-traffickers. NATO’s economy-of-force operation there has attempted to help build a nation with very few resources. Yet, overall levels of violence remain relatively modest by comparison with other violent lands such as the Congo, Iraq, and even Mexico. Economic growth is significant and certain quality of life indicators are improving, though from a very low base. The United States is committed to Afghanistan and over the course of 2009 will roughly double its troop strength there. The international community is also seriously committed, with a number of key countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom fighting hard and applying solid principles of counterinsurgency."

To continue reading the brief, click here.

See also:
'Afghanistan: Stunted development', Himal Southasian, 31 March 2009
'Analysis: The new Afghan strategy', Daily Times, 31 March 2009
'What attracts USA in Afghanistan?', Pakistan Daily, 30 March 2009
'"The Taliban has a better co-ordinated political and military strategy than we do"', Spectator, 29 March 2009

Related posts:
'Bottom-up approach needed in Afghanistan: Report', 17 February 2009
'Surging towards stalemate', 7 January 2009
'Afghanistan: A study on the prospects for peace', 7 April 2008
'Peacebuilding in Afghanistan: The case for a national strategy', 28 February 2009
'Karzai's new reconciliation effort faces scrutiny', 9 November 2007

Poppies Pose Dilemma

'Afghanistan's Poppies Pose Dilemma', USA Today, 31 March 2009

EXCERPT: "President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan calls for continuing the destruction of poppy fields, although experts and his top envoy to the region have called the practice counterproductive. Richard Holbrooke, the administration's coordinator of Afghanistan policy, said this month that eradicating the opium poppy fields is 'wasteful and ineffective' and has been 'pushing farmers into the Taliban's hands' because it destroys farmers' livelihoods and leaves them with few alternatives. The dilemma of Afghanistan's poppy production has long bedeviled civilian and military strategists. The crop makes up 90% of the world's opium, which is used to make heroin, and a third of the nation's gross domestic product, according to the United Nations. Opium profits fuel the insurgency, but so does destroying the poppy crops of poor farmers, says Lt. Col. John Glaze, whose 2007 report for the Army War College argued against eradication."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Holbrooke: Poppy eradication "wasteful"', MarketWatch / The Wall Street Journal, 31 March 2009
'Poppies for medicine', Radio Netherlands, 31 March 2009
'US launches new fight against Afghan drug trade', The Associated Press, 30 March 2009

Related posts:
'US sees lessons for Afghan war in Colombia', 6 March 2009
'Afghanistan still largest opium poppy producer: US', 27 February 2009
'Upcoming changes to the drug-insurgency nexus', 23 January 2009
'Obstacle in bid to curb Afghan trade in narcotics', 23 December 2008
'The Taliban's opium war', 6 July 2007

Karzai Offers Deal To Non-Al-Qaida Taliban

'Afghan Leader Offers Deal To Non-Al-Qaida Taliban', The Associated Press, 31 March 2009

EXCERPT: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered an olive branch Tuesday to Taliban fighters who reject al-Qaida and pressed an international conference for help in strengthening Afghanistan's security forces. Sitting around a horseshoe-shaped table, Clinton said most of the Taliban fighters have allied with anti-government forces 'out of desperation' rather than commitment, in a country that has barely made inroads against poverty and lack of development. Karzai and Clinton said Afghanistan would welcome Taliban fighters who embrace peace and pledge to abide by the Afghan constitution. The United States is starting cautiously down a path in Afghanistan that proved helpful in Iraq, where former insurgents joined forces with U.S. troops and a U.S.-backed government."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'The Taliban primer', Himal Southasian, 31 March 2009
'"Talking to the Taliban is pointless"', Radio Netherlands, 31 March 2009
'Afghan Taliban can be split: Expert', Reuters, 31 March 2009
'Pakistan and Afghan Taliban unite as Obama promotes new strategy', The National, 30 March 2009
'Most Afghan Taliban want peace, ex-commander says', Reuters, 29 March 2009

Related posts:
'Afghan clerics call for peace talks', 20 March 2009
'Key Afghan insurgents open door to talks', 18 March 2009
'No peace talks with leader Mullah Omar', 16 March 2009
'Preliminary discussions with Taliban already under way', 11 March 2009
'Afghan Taliban leader rejects Karzai's safety vow', 17 November 2008

New Law Detrimental To Women's Rights

'"Worse Than The Taliban" - New Law Rolls Back Rights For Afghan Women', The Guardian, 31 March 2009

EXCERPT: "Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalizes rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission. The Afghan president signed the law earlier this month, despite condemnation by human rights activists and some MPs that it flouts the constitution's equal rights provisions. The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands' permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex. A briefing document prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women also warns that the law grants custody of children to fathers and grandfathers only. Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was 'worse than during the Taliban'. 'Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam,' she said."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'UN says Afghan president signs law legalizing rape in marriage', FOX News, 31 March 2009
'Karzai is about to introduce a bill severely restricting Afghan women's rights', The Washington Independent, 31 March 2009
'Don Martin: Karzai sells out sacrifices of Canadian troops', The National Post, 31 March 2009
'Overtures to Taliban endanger women's rights: Activists', Reuters, 31 March 2009

Related posts:
'First Afghan woman mayor says women's rights worsened', 14 January 2009
'Afghan women, education, and opportunities', 24 October 2008
'Living female in Afghanistan', 17 July 2008
'Women and human security: The case of post-conflict Afghanistan', 26 October 2007

ICRC Concerned Over Civilian Toll Of Conflict

'ICRC Concerned Over Civilian Toll Of Conflict', Swissinfo, 30 March 2009

EXCERPT: "More ordinary Afghans and Pakistanis will bear the brunt of a likely escalation in the war in Afghanistan this year, says a top Red Cross official. The warning comes on the eve of a United Nations conference on Afghanistan in the Netherlands on Tuesday and just days after US President Barack Obama outlined a new strategy for fighting Taliban insurgents in the volatile region. The Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday urged the US and others to consider the plight of civilians in Afghanistan and in northwest Pakistan 'as a matter of urgency'. The ICRC is one of the few aid agencies able to operate in hostile tribal areas on both sides of the border because of long-running relations, including with Taliban-linked militants. Violence had reached 'stunning and dramatic levels' and the conflict, involving a 'complex constellation' of political and military actors, would continue to intensify and expand in 2009, said de Maio."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Afghanistan: 30 years of suffering', ICRC, 30 March 2009
'Three steps to improve Afghan lives', OneWorld.net / Amnesty International, 30 March 2009
'Mounting NATO airstrikes result in civilian casualties', M&C, 30 March 2009
'Germany critical of unilateral mission', Spiegel Online, 30 March 2009
'Suicide bomber in Kandahar kills 8', The New York Times, 30 March 2009

Related posts:
'98% of civilians are directly affected by Afghan conflict', 3 March 2009
'Civilians could bear brunt of increased war', 2 March 2009
'UN: Afghan civilian deaths jumped 40 percent', 17 February 2009
'NATO-led troops killed around 100 civilians in 2008', 28 January 2009
'Afghan unrest killed 4,000 civilians in 2008: Report', 21 January 2009

Troops Needed For "Foreseeable Future": NATO

'Troops Needed In Afghanistan For "Foreseeable Future": NATO', Irish Times, 30 March 2009

EXCERPT: "International forces should not expect to withdraw from Afghanistan in the near future, Nato Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said today, days after the launch of a new US strategy for the country. 'In my opinion, it is necessary to stay in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future,' he told reporters in Brussels, saying he had so far seen 'positive reactions' to US president Barack Obama's announcement last week. Mr Obama set no timetable for a revamped strategy to quell a growing insurgency but shifted the focus towards training Afghanistan's own security forces, and said the United States would not 'blindly stay the course'. Mr de Hoop Scheffer welcomed the plan to concentrate on defeating al Qaeda militants rather than pursuing the Bush administration's more ambitious aim of building democracy. Mr Obama will hold talks this week with Nato allies on a plan that envisages sending 4,000 US troops to train Afghan forces on top of a previously announced reinforcement of 17,000 extra US troops for the war effort. That will bring the total of US forces in Afghanistan to 55,000 compared with 32,000 from remaining Nato members and other countries involved in military operations, leading some analysts to say the alliance could be increasingly sidelined."

To continue reading the article,click here.

See also:
'NATO opposes "Americanization" of Afghanistan war', Bloomberg, 30 March 2009
'NATO chief spurs allies to greater Afghan efforts', AFP, 30 March 2009
'NATO seeks $2 billion to boost Afghan forces - FT', Reuters, 29 March 2009
'NATO chief accepts Netherlands' planned withdrawal from South Afghanistan', China View, 29 March 2009

Related posts:
'Shaping Europe's Afghan surge', 25 March 2009
'Taliban fill NATO's big gaps in Afghan south', 22 January 2009
'Britain to NATO members: Help more in Afghanistan', 12 November 2008
'Afghanistan say to decide how long NATO troops stay', 20 May 2008
'Coalition warfare in Afghanistan: Burden-sharing or disunity', 16 October 2007

Court Favors Karzai Term Until Election

'Court Favors Karzai Term Until Election', The New York Times, 29 March 2009

EXCERPT: "The Afghan Supreme Court said Sunday that President Hamid Karzai may lawfully remain in power until presidential elections in August, saying that it was in the national interest to maintain stability and continuity of government. The opinion, which is not binding, was the latest step in a constitutional wrangle between Mr. Karzai and his political rivals over a three-month gap between the end of his presidential term on May 21 and the elections that have been delayed for security and logistical reasons until Aug. 20. Opposition parties have called for the president to resign and appoint an interim government for the three months until elections. Their main contention is that as the incumbent Mr. Karzai will have an unfair advantage to use state resources for his re-election. The Supreme Court said that since the elections had been delayed for three months in contravention of the Constitution, all other provisions concerning the elections should also be postponed for three months."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Karzai's opponents slam Supreme Court ruling as "unconstitutional"', Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 30 March 2009
'Opposition: Extension of Karzai's term to lead to 'crisis' ', The Earth Times, 30 March 2009
'For Afghanistan, a season of promise and peril', The Washington Post, 30 March 2009
'Former Afghan FM to run for president', PressTV, 29 March 2009

Related posts:
'Resolving the crisis over constitutional interpretation in Afghanistan', 18 March 2009
'Controversy over Afghan election delay puts constitution to test', 3 February 2009
'Afghanistan at critical point, elections at risk: IISS', 27 January 2009
'Poor security imperils Afghan vote, report warns', 21 November 2008
'Afghanistan's readiness to vote debated', 25 July 2008

White Paper: US Policy Toward Afghanistan and Pakistan

'White Paper Of The Interagency Policy Group's Report On U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan And Pakistan', World Security Network, 29 March 2009

EXCERPT: "The United States has a vital national security interest in addressing the current and potential security threats posed by extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, al Qaeda and other groups of jihadist terrorists are planning new terror attacks. Their targets remain the U.S. homeland, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Europe, Australia, our allies in the Middle East, and other targets of opportunity. The growing size of the space in which they are operating is a direct result of the terrorist/insurgent activities of the Taliban and related organizations. At the same time, this group seeks to reestablish their old sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Therefore, the core goal of the U.S. must be to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan. The ability of extremists in Pakistan to undermine Afghanistan is proven, while insurgency in Afghanistan feeds instability in Pakistan. The threat that al Qaeda poses to the United States and our allies in Pakistan - including the possibility of extremists obtaining fissile material - is all too real."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'US pushes Afghan plan in The Hague this week', The Wall Street Journal, 30 March 2009
'The great Afghan bail out', Asia Times Online, 30 March 2009
'Obama's domino theory', Salon, 30 March 2009
'Obama Afghanistan, Pakistan new policy explained', Chicago Sun Times, 29 March 2009
'Aid comes at a price for "AfPak" leaders', The Independent, 29 March 2009

Related posts:
'Official: Mullah Omar in Afghanistan', 20 March 2009
'US: More view Afghan war as "mistake"', 17 March 2009
'Up to 15,000 Taliban in Afghanistan: Minister', 27 February 2009
'Bottom-up approach needed in Afghanistan: Report', 17 February 2009
'"The Taliban now holds a permanent presence in 72% of Afghanistan"', 8 December 2008

"Widespread" Arbitrary Detention In Afghanistan: UN

'UN Slams "Widespread" Arbitrary Detention In Afghanistan', The Daily Star, 27 March 2009

EXCERPT: "The United Nations yesterday criticised arbitrary detention in Afghanistan as widespread and unacceptable, calling for an immediate review in order to protect rights. The findings were presented in a report by the chief human rights officer of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Norah Niland, after more than 18 months spent monitoring Afghan detention facilities. The report, which monitored 2,000 Afghan detentions between November 2006 and July 2008, highlighted that Afghans were often detained without legal basis, including for 'so-called moral crimes'. The UN human rights officer could not provide the overall number of detainees, arbitrary detention facilities or arbitrary detainees in Afghanistan. It recommended the authorities clarify and strengthen oversight and accountability, and improve coordination between institutions."

To continue reading the article, click here.
To continue reading the "Arbitrary Detention: A Call to Action" report, click here (Volume I) or here (Volume 2) [pdf].

See also:
'Press conference by Norah Niland, Head, Human Rights Unit, UNAMA and Dr. Nilab Mobarez, Press Officer, UNAMA', ReliefWeb / UNAMA / OHCHR, 26 March 2009
'Afghan girls suffer for sins of male relatives', Institute for War & Peace Reporting, 26 March 2009
'Journalists decry Afghan arrests', BBC News, 24 March 2009

Related posts:
'Inmates die in Afghan jail clash', 5 December 2008
'UN: half of Afghan prisoners being detained without trial', 1 December 2008
'Children subject to abuse in Afghan justice system', 25 June 2008
'Inmates riot at high-security Kabul jail', 19 March 2008

Decision On Manas Base Unchanged

'Kyrgyzstan Says Position On U.S. Military Presence Unchanged', RIA Novosti, 27 March 2009

EXCERPT: "A spokesman for Kyrgyzstan's president rejected on Friday reports that the country is considering allowing U.S. troops to remain at the Manas airbase. Earlier on Friday, a high-ranking source in the U.S. administration said the United States had received an offer from Kyrgyzstan to continue negotiations on maintaining the Manas airbase near Bishkek. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed on February 20 a decree to close the Manas airbase. Kyrgyzstan officially notified Washington about the termination of the agreement on a U.S. military presence at the base, and gave it 180 days to withdraw some 1,200 personnel, aircraft and other equipment. The base, staffed mainly by U.S. Air Force personnel, had been used since 2001 to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan. Bakiyev linked the decision to Washington's refusal to pay more for the base and to the conduct of U.S. military personnel, including the killing of a Kyrgyz national by a U.S. soldier in December 2006."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'US says could still avert Kyrgyz airbase closure', Reuters, 27 March 2009
'Russia "to aid Afghan fight" but wary of US military presence', Al Jazeera, 27 March 2009
'Kyrgyz envoy says Russia influenced base closure', International Herald Tribune, 12 March 2009

Related posts:
'Kyrgyz lawmakers vote to oust US allies from base', 6 March 2009
'Kyrgyz parliament approves US base closure', 19 February 2009
'Tajikistan ready to help US with Afghanistan supplies', 6 February 2009
'Russia says it wants to help US in Afghanistan', 4 February 2009