“Attempting to control rural areas in Afghanistan always eventually ends up boiling down to personal survival.” Evan McAllister, former Marine staff sergeant, New York Times, July 28, 2018 It genuinely doesn’t matter how the security boffins within the Pentagon frame it: the Taliban have fought the United States, through sheer will of force and mania, to the negotiating table –[Read More...]
Can Afghans convince us that the method of war doesn’t work?
Consider their thirst to end the war.
If we’re still quietly hoping that wars would end and people all over the world would get along peacefully, the dreams and demands of the Helmand Peace Convoy would give us courage and evidence.
When Amanullah Khateb joined the Convoy, now called the People’s Peace Movement ( PPM ), he didn’t know that he would not see his wife again. With poor access to healthcare services, she recently died of appendicitis, leaving behind Khateb and three children.
In the first hour I go solo and talk about the recent elections in Pakistan and Imran Khan’s rise to power. I talk about Khan’s political party and how they they were able to take 116 seats in Parliament and elevate Khan to Prime Minister. I discuss Khan’s colorful life as well. I also discuss my major takeaways from the election: why the military backed Khan, how Khan will interact with the Taliban going forward, and the complex relationship with China and their China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. I also address the question over whether Khan is Pakistan’s Donald Trump.
Tariq Ali, whilst having a lunch in Knightsbridge with the Pakistani cricket colossus, Imran Khan, suggested that retirement should not be too problematic for him. (Khan had seemed gloomy, deep in thought about post-retirement prospects at the age of 30.) Consider, posed Ali, film, or at the very least funding for a film institute. “You could be an enabler or you could act. A film with you in it would be a surefire hit and help fund more avant-garde productions.”
KABUL – During an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Monday, a brief speech by Mike Pompeo betrayed what appears to be a major shift in U.S. policy towards the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history. Though the U.S.
By M K Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline | April 4, 2018 The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs in the US State Department Alice Wells is visiting India on April 3-6. This is strictly not a ‘bilateral event’, but Ambassador Wells’ discussions with senior Indian government officials are expected to cover […]
By M K Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline | March 6, 2018 The Principal Assistant Secretary of State in the US state department’s Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells gave an extraordinary briefing in Washington on March 5 on the Trump administration’s outlook on the Afghan peace talks and reconciliation. The fact that […]
(COMMONDREAMS) — Two and half weeks after President Donald Trump rejected the idea of peace talks with Taliban, the militant group published an open letter to the American people urging them to pressure their government to end the occupation of Afghanistan, now in its 17th year, and engage in peace talks. The letter, published on the group’s website, denounces the […]
A suicide bomber killed at least 11 Pakistani army soldiers and injured 13 at an army camp in Sawat Valley on Saturday (Feb 3). An army Captain was among those who died in the bombing. Army officials in Swat told the press that the soldiers were playing a volleyball match outside their base camp in Kabal in lower Swat[Read More...]
