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Amin Tarzi

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Amin Tarzi

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May 12, 2006
Could Afghan, Iraqi Insurgencies Muster Ties?

Speculation of ties between insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq has been stoked by a growing number of suicide missions, greater use of improvised weapons, and the neo-Taliban insurgency's claim of responsibility for the recent beheading of a hostage.
April 28, 2006
Afghanistan: The Brief History Of Media Freedom

Two journalists work in the Kabul studio of the first radio station in Afghanistan devoted to women's issues (file photo) (AFP) The Afghan media environment appears to have embarked on an upward trend since the anomalous days of fundamentalist Taliban repression ended in October 2001. The media might, in fact, be poised for better days than at any other time in Afghan history. But ensuring a healthy, professional, and independent media will require the Afghan public and its officials to draw lessons from the past and critically evaluate the country's nascent media law.
April 21, 2006
President Gets Key Cabinet Picks, But At What Price?

Two ministerial rejections -- of the only female nominee and of the long-serving culture minister -- could hint at trouble to come.
April 20, 2006
New Foreign Minister Steps Out Of Obscurity

RFE/RL looks at the most controversial of President Karzai's cabinet nominees, newly confirmed Foreign Minister Rangin Dadar Spanta.
April 16, 2006
Islamabad Anxious As Kabul Tightens Ties With New Delhi

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is trying to maintain balance in his country's relations with India and Pakistan, but is Islamabad trying to undermine his progress?
April 07, 2006
Confirmation Debate Opens Door For Legislature, Opposition

The lower house of the Afghan National Assembly has begun the confirmation debate over the president's proposed 25-member cabinet, marking the first major cohabitation test for Afghanistan's elected legislature vis-a-vis the executive branch.
March 22, 2006
Apostasy Case Reveals Afghan Constitution's Contradictions

The case of an Afghan who faces the death penalty for converting to Christianity has aroused much debate outside Afghanistan, particularly in the Western countries that supported the country's move to democracy. While democracy is taking root in Afghanistan, the country's constitution is not a truly secular document.
March 10, 2006
Factbox: Historical Context Of Afghan-Pakistani Relations

Afghan President Karzai (left) with Pakistan President Musharraf in Islamabad last month (epa) Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan can be best described as tense ever since the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
March 02, 2006
Who Instigated The Pol-e Charkhi Prison Riot And Why?

Five days after it began, the crisis at Kabul's Pol-e Charkhi prison has ended. Tensions now appear to have subsided, but questions linger.
February 23, 2006
Afghan/Pakistani 'Twins' In Need Of Separation

During his recent trip to Islamabad, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Afghanistan and Pakistan are "joined together like twins" and are "inseparable." But relations are now at their lowest ebb since late 2001.
February 15, 2006
Afghanistan: Judicial Sector Requires Immediate Attention

An Afghan police officer removes the handcuffs off a suspect in court (file photo) (AFP) The international community and Afghan delegates emerged from the two-day London conference on Afghanistan with a clutch of documents. They include a five-year Afghanistan Compact that assures continued global support for Afghanistan until 2010. All sides celebrated agreement on various issues, but questions remain over the feasibility and measurability of tasks in the Afghanistan Compact.
February 13, 2006
Afghanistan: The End Of NATO's Honeymoon?

Protesters in Afghanistan on 6 February (AFP) Ongoing violent protests in Afghanistan against the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that first appeared in a Danish newspaper culminated on 7 February with an attack targeting a NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Maymana, the capital of the northern Faryab Province. While the information on which side started shooting remains vague, at least four Afghan protestors were killed and some 20 others -- including five Norwegian troops -- were injured in the melee.
January 18, 2006
NATO's Dutch Dilemma

The stalled debate in the Netherlands over the deployment of troops to south-central Afghanistan jeopardizes NATO's planned expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
January 11, 2006
New Parliament Goes On The Offensive

As the National Assembly gets down to work, it is clear that lawmakers are prepared to pursue a populist agenda and challenge the executive branch's previously exclusive hold on power.
December 29, 2005
Afghanistan: Qanuni Brokers His Way To Parliament Speaker

Mohammad Yunos Qanuni (file photo) (AFP) After backdoor political maneuverings and a heated contest, Mohammad Yunos Qanuni, head of the New Afghanistan Party and the unofficial leader of the National Understanding Front -- the largest opposition bloc -- was elected speaker of the Afghan National Assembly's People's Council (Wolesi Jirga) on 21 December.
December 15, 2005
Lawmakers' Slayings Pose Hard Questions

The killing of Esmatullah Mohabat, who was elected to the National Assembly, has reopened questions regarding politically motivated killings in Afghanistan and the effectiveness of the country's disarmament program.
December 12, 2005
NATO Prepares To Move Into Most Restive Provinces

While Afghanistan has welcomed NATO's expansion, doubts remain in Kabul about whether a NATO-led force can effectively deal with the insurgents in restive southern Afghanistan.
November 23, 2005
Who Exactly Is The Enemy?

President Karzai recently repeated calls for the armed opposition to join a national-reconciliation program that he has championed, on and off, since early 2003.
November 18, 2005
New Parliament Must Cope With Deep Divisions

With completed vote results for the Afghan National Assembly's lower house, the country came one step closer to its first parliament since 1965.
November 18, 2005
Rivals Compete For Speaker's Post

With the National Assembly nearly ready to convene, attention turns to aspirants for the lower house's potentially powerful chairman's post.

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