Afghanistan

Humanitarian Organizations in Tajikistan and the Coordination of Aid to Displaced Afghans in No Man's Land

by Indra Overland

Stone Beads of Ancient Afghanistan: Stylistic and Technical Analysis

by Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology

By Geoffrey Ludvik

Published in Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology 3(1): 1-8. (May 2012)
Copyright ©2012 by Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology

Afghanistan occupies a unique geographic position at the crossroads of Asia on the trade routes between east and west.... more Afghanistan occupies a unique geographic position at the crossroads of Asia on the trade routes between east and west. Among the many objects that moved through Afghanistan, stone beads were among the most common. The study of such artifacts is important because of the social significance of beads for a wide variety of cultures. This research addresses antique stone beads from Afghanistan made of agate, carnelian, faience, turquoise, jasper, and lapis lazuli. This study focuses on stylistic and morphological features as well as manufacturing techniques, specifically the nature of drilling used to perforate the beads. Using comparative experimental and archaeological studies, I have identified the types of drills used and linked them to general chronological periods. The analysis involved detailed measurements, the employment of a bead typology, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of drill hole impressions. By following this pre-established methodology, the stylistic and technical properties of these beads were determined.

Potential Lives, Impossible Deaths: Afghanistan, Civilian Casualties and the Politics of Intelligibility

by Thomas Gregory

The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has increased dramatically in recent years as the International... more The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan has increased dramatically in recent years as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has tried to put down the Taliban insurgency. Reports of civilian casualties are, however, frequently dismissed as being examples of Taliban propaganda or blamed on the actions of enemy fighters, while the tragic loss of civilians is rarely marked or even acknowledged within the dominant frames of war. At first glance, the fact that civilians are so easily expendable appears to be at odds with the humanitarian intentions underpinning the war. However, I argue that the rhetoric of humanitarianism operates to preclude Afghans from appearing as recognizable human beings, foreclosing the possibility that they possess a life worthy of protection. Drawing on the work of Judith Butler, I will trace the ways in which Afghans have been reduced to the status of absolute victims, denied the very essence of their humanity and therefore a publically grievable death. By effectively constructing them as the living-dead, existing in a state of abeyance, Afghans have been exposed to a deathly logic in which their lives are expendable in the quest to make them liveable once again.

A Diplomatic Surge in Afghanistan, 2011-2014

by Daryl Morini

Published in 'Strategic Studies Quarterly', Winter 2010: 68-100.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states and their coalition partners—encompassing some 40... more The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states and their coalition partners—encompassing some 40 democracies—are not the only players with high stakes in the current war for Afghanistan. Influential players such as Russia, Pakistan, Iran, India, and China all have legitimate interests.1 Without a commensurate multilateral diplomatic surge, efforts toward lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan will most likely fail. But the potential of international cooperation in facilitating a long-term political settlement in that country remains woefully underexploited. Diplomatic cooperation among the main external players, along with coalition forces, will be essential to success in the Afghan campaign. Only by tapping into the global convergence of interests in Afghanistan can the United States and its NATO–ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) partners hope for a political victory or, at the very least, an international environment conducive to the conflict’s peaceful resolution.

Is Peace through Nonviolence Possible in AfPak?

by Jahan Zeb

Jahan Zeb comments on the enduring contribution of historical figure Bacha Khan to transforming conflict through nonviolence in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Background
It was an historical day when Bacha Khan (1890 - 1988) was born in the strategic tall mountains of... more Background
It was an historical day when Bacha Khan (1890 - 1988) was born in the strategic tall mountains of Pashtun land, located on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan (AfPak). Bacha Khan is also known as Abdul Ghaffar Kha, Fakhr-e-Afghan (pride of Afghans) and non-violent Muslim soldier of Islam. When Bacha Khan died, flags were lowered in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, because the people of these countries have profound respect for his role in striving to achieve freedom peacefully. In many aspects, Khan stands tall in the line of the finest leaders of the world, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Bacha Khan’s exclusivity was eminent due to the fact that he was born and raised in the mountainous region of Pashtun land, which is primarily agrarian, and encountered both family and tribal feuds. Bacha Khan was saddened to see such difficulties and hardships.

'Afghanisation' of the Security Sector: An Assessment

by Bibhu Prasad Routray

Co-authored with Shanthie Mariet D'Souza, Published in CLAWS Journal (Summer 2011), pp. 116-28.

Continuing symbolic and high profile suicide attacks in Afghanistan pose questions to the claims by the United States... more Continuing symbolic and high profile suicide attacks in Afghanistan pose questions to the claims by the United States that the surge in its troop levels has been successful in blunting the Taliban-led insurgency.

The Czech Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan: Context, Experiences and Politics

by Nik Hynek

co-authored with Jan Eichler, published in "Defence Studies", Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 405-430. ISSN 1470-2436

The Naqshbandī Community of Herat in the 18th and 19th Centuries

by Daniel Beben

Paper presentation for the 45th Annual Middle East Studies Association Conference, Washington, D.C., December 2011.

Review of: O. Bopearachchi and Ph. Flandrin, Le portrait d’Alexandre le Grand, ANS Magazine 5, 2 (2006), pp. 62-65.

by Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert

Dilemmas of Security: Security-Democracy and Security-Stability Dilemmas in the Cases of Syria and Afghanistan

by sule toktas

2012 (June). Suicidal Performances: Voicing Discontent in a Girls’ Dormitory in Kabul. Culture, Medicine, Psychiatry. Vol 36(2)

by Julie Billaud

Female suicide in Afghanistan has generally been given economic and psychological explanations. More rarely has its... more Female suicide in Afghanistan has generally been given economic and psychological explanations. More rarely has its social dimension been analysed. In this paper, I underline the communicative potential of Afghan women’s suicide in the ‘post-war/reconstruction’ context. I highlight its ambiguous symbolic power and its anchorage in the subversive imaginary universe of women’s poetic expression. I argue that while reproducing certain cultural ideas about women’s inherent emotional fragility, women’s suicide also challenges the honour system in powerful ways and opens possibilities for voicing discontent. I qualify female suicide as the ‘art of the weak’ (De Certeau 1980, 6), a covert form of protest, a performance – in the sense of Bauman (2004) - that builds upon traditional popular ‘knowledge’ about gender in order to manage the impression of an audience and make women’s claims audible.

Taking the Place of Martyrs: Afghans and Arabs Under the Banner of Islam

by Darryl Li

Arab Studies Journal 20(1), Spring 2012, pp. 12-39

This article examines how so-called “Afghan Arabs” – Islamist activists drawn to war-torn Afghanistan in recent... more This article examines how so-called “Afghan Arabs” – Islamist activists drawn to war-torn Afghanistan in recent decades – reconciled their pan-Islamist commitments with the experience of doctrinal and cultural difference vis-à-vis Afghans. Previous approaches to transnational Islamist activism have tended to either uncritically assume a monolithic Muslim identity or posit a rigid dichotomy between fanatic “foreign fighters” and the relatively moderate “local Muslims” who they putatively seek to indoctrinate. Eschewing both types of reification, this article argues that pan-Islamist projects should not be understood as attempts to erase intra-Muslim differences, but rather as endeavors to process them. Afghan Arabs struggled to understand, evaluate, and respond to doctrinal and cultural differences in ways that often defied the conventional juxtaposition of radical Salafi Arabs versus moderate Sufi/Hanafi Afghans. Diverse longstanding discursive traditions in Islam – including discussions over miraculous events [karāmāt] and visitation of saints’ tombs [al-ziyāra] – provided common terms of reference that Arab activists and their Afghan counterparts could invoke to ensure that even contentious disputes could contribute to a shared project.

Under A Red Veil: Staging Afghan Emancipation in Moscow

by Timothy Nunan

Policing Mars or Venus? Comparing European and US approaches to police assistance

by Felix Heiduk

Afganistan’da Tozun Dumanın Arasında

by Sercan Doğan

İlk olarak 16 Mart 2012 tarihinde ORSAM internet sayfasında yayımlanmıştır.

Gerek Afganistan gerekse de Suriye’deki uyuşmazlıkların çözümünü bölge dışı etkilerden olabildiğince bağımsız bölgesel... more Gerek Afganistan gerekse de Suriye’deki uyuşmazlıkların çözümünü bölge dışı etkilerden olabildiğince bağımsız bölgesel inisiyatifler çerçevesinde düşünmek Ortadoğu’nun geleceği için yeni bir sayfa açabilir.

Turkey’s Increasing Role in Afghanistan

by Muharrem EKSI

This paper is briefly dealing with the current situation in Afghanistan within the context of Turkey’s increasing role... more This paper is briefly dealing with the current situation in Afghanistan within the context of Turkey’s increasing role in Afghanistan. Turkish-Afghani relations are examined in terms of politics and economy while Turkish foreign policies towards Afghanistan and the Turkish-Pakistani-Afghani triple summit attempts are analyzed. Additionally, Turkey’s security and socio-economic contributions in Afghanistan are emphasized. Turkey’s unwillingness to send troops to Afghanistan for operational purposes that is frequently debated in national and international circles has been evaluated by stating the advantages and disadvantages of such decision. Turkey’s quiet approach between 2001 and 2004 towards Afghanistan, which have been energizing since 2005 and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Afghanistan on June 2009 have been dealt as well. By considering Davutoglu’s policies, aiming to introduce Turkey as a global actor and as the term President of the UNSC, it seems that Turkey is preparing to play a more active role in Afghanistan. 

Regional or global? The National Security Strategy and public opinion in Slovenia

by Miha Hribernik

Published in Panorama of global security environment 2011

This article attempts to shed some light on the relationship between three factors that influence the deployment of... more This article attempts to shed some light on the relationship between three factors that influence the deployment of Slovenian troops in international operations. These are: the normative expectations of Slovenian policy makers (who wish to maintain a military presence in various crisis flashpoints around the world) as defined in the National Security Strategy; the reality of low public support for participation in far-away operations such as ISAF (and the relatively high support for regional participation, for example in KFOR); and the role of internal politics.

The Degüello: The Story of One Special Forces A-Team and the Mission of a Lifetime (Review)

by Jeff Emanuel

Review of "The Degüello," by Scott A. Zastrow (Lulu, 2011)

La OSCE, el actor alternativo para la seguridad en Afganistán

by Francisco José Rodrigo Luelmo

Publicado en REQUENA, Miguel (ed.): "La seguridad y la defensa en el actual marco socio-económico: nuevas estrategias frente a nuevas amenazas", Madrid, Instituto Universitario General Gutiérrez Mellado, 2011.

BROTHERS (Susanne Bier, 2004), triptych dualism

by Rene Hirsch

2 or 3 things I know about Susanne Bier (3)

In addition to the symbolic and thematic elements dear to Susanne Bier and already present in The One and Only (1999)... more In addition to the symbolic and thematic elements dear to Susanne Bier and already present in The One and Only (1999) and Open Hearts (2002), Brothers specifically deals with the difficult reintegration of a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.