opinions

Why Khalilzad Diplomacy is Catastrophic for Afghanistan?

2019-05-26

By Dr. Yaqub Ibrahimi

In the six rounds of bilateral talks between Zalmai Khalilzad and the Taliban, there was no promising prospect for Afghanistan. Khalilzad’s diplomacy and the so-called Qatar process have had three clear outcomes: the isolation of the government of Afghanistan, the increase of Taliban’s political legitimacy, and the mobilization of the Kabul-based political

Uzbekistan Perspective: Ensuring Regional Security and Countering Extremism and Terrorism

2019-05-05

By H.E Ismatulla Irgashev

I would like to present our vision of the prospects for the development of the situation in Central Asia, including Afghanistan, which we regard as an integral part of our region.

Today, Central Asia is experiencing an unprecedented transitional period. Adoption of the “Str

Editing the Past: Colonial Production of Hegemony Through the “Loya Jerga” in Afghanistan

2019-05-02

By M. Jamil Hanifi

The central government of Afghanistan disintegrated in April 1992 setting in motion the collapse of the Afghan state apparatus that culminated in the occupation of the country by the armed forces of the United States in Autumn 2001. In the early days of the occupation Hamed Karzai, an expatriate Afghan, appeared surrounded by American soldiers on Western television screen

Afghan Trading Networks, Geopolitics and Everyday Diplomacy: Transcending West Asia’s Northern and Southern Tiers

2019-04-27

By Magnus Marsden

Central Asian transnational commercial networks play an important role in connecting much of West Asia. Since the traders who form such networks are multi-lingual and able to inhabit multiple cultural spaces, they are helpfully thought of as “everyday diplomats” skilled especially in the art of negotiation. This article focuses on commercial networks ma