Registan’s Afghanistan News & Analysis Archive

Since the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC in 2001, significant international effort has been poured into creating a stable and secure Afghanistan. Much of the public and media attention has been focused on combat operations, the relationship between security in Pakistan and security in Afghanistan, and corruption in Afghanistan’s government. While these are important issues, critical questions about what the future holds for Afghanistan and its neighbors linger, especially with the looming deadline for ISAF to turn over responsibility for security to the government of Afghanistan.

Registan.net frequently features news and analysis on Afghanistan, with special emphasis on ISAF’s efforts to stabilize the country and how the war in Afghanistan shapes the overall South and Central Asia policies of the United States. Several of our contributors have worked for government, business, and development clients providing analytic support on culture, society, geography, and security in Afghanistan. Coupled with our strong expertise and experience in Central Asia, Registan is uniquely poised to helping organizations navigate the challenges and identify the opportunities that will rise in Afghanistan and South Asia in decade to come.

Let Registan puts its Afghanistan expertise and experience to work with research, analysis, and training services tailored to your individual needs. For more information on how we can help you and your organization better understand Afghanistan and the other countries of South Asia, visit our services page.

Afghanistan will dominate Uzbekistan’s domestic and foreign policies

by anvar.malikov

Following his 20-year long tradition of presenting a long speech on the occasion of Uzbekistan’s Constitution Day, President Islam Karimov, among different socioeconomic and political issues, discussed the country’s foreign policy and highlighted his position on intensely discussed (mostly through rumors in regional media) issue of a U.S. military base being established on Uzbek soil. [...]

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The U.S. plays a dangerous sanctuary game

by Alec Metz

The Washington Post reported yesterday that not only does the U.S. know Maulana Fazlullah (“Radio Mullah”), the Pakistani Taliban allied TNSM leader accused of killing Pakistani government forces and figures (including former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto), overrunning Swat in 2007, and ordering the execution of Malala Yousufzai, is hiding in Eastern Afghanistan, but that ISAF doesn’t plan on [...]

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Kyrgyz in Afghanistan

by Alec Metz

The Afghanistan Analysts Network had a post recently summarizing the recent history of the Kyrgyz population of the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. Originally the Kyrgyz population in the area and in the larger Badakhshan region simply used the area as seasonal pasturage for their animals, but as Russia (and later the USSR) began to impose restrictions [...]

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Afghan tourists in Tajikistan

by Alec Metz

Years ago, a Western Farsi-speaker would tell me stories of Tajik groups from Northern Afghanistan he took to Tajikistan as part of an exchange program, and the hilarious culture clashes that would occur between the two groups, usually involving vodka and the role of women in society. Despite sharing a language, ethnicity, and (arguably) similar [...]

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The Farce of Afghan Success

by Joshua Foust
Thumbnail image for The Farce of Afghan Success

Army War College professor Steven Metz has a provocative argument in WPR this week: With the endgame near for large-scale U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, Americans have already begun to debate the broader implications of the conflict. Many have painted it as a failure, even a strategic fiasco. But it is not. Given the dynamics [...]

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What the Andar Uprising Is and Is Not

by Sekundar

I would’ve liked to get to this sooner, but the fantastic, first-of-hopefully-many Registan conference was occupying my time. During the conference, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by the Kagans on the Andar “Uprising” (which I think could be more correctly termed “the Andar-settling-of-scores-by-and-large-unrelated-to-ISAF-or-the-Karzai-government”) as an indicator of success. Despite returning to focus [...]

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Afghanistan’s Future

by Sekundar

To concur with Foust’s most recent post, the outlook for Afghanistan is grim. The surge, unfortunately, did not work as it was supposed to, and partnership efforts are a bloody mess. According to Gilles Dorronsoro’s recent paper, Waiting for the Taliban in Afghanistan (well worth a read), “The Afghanistan regime will most probably collapse in a [...]

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The Failing War in a Nutshell

by Joshua Foust

Just in case you still, somehow, thought everything was on track. From the Wall Street Journal today: Afghan officials said Sunday that a Taliban rocket landed near U.S. troops on patrol Saturday afternoon in eastern Wardak province. In response, they said, American forces—thinking they had come under attack from Afghan troops—fired on a nearby Afghan [...]

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David Barno’s Pivot Plan: So Wrong It’s Scary

by Dan

This past week, David Barno published an article titled “The Real Pivot” in Foreign Policy. Based on some of the responses on social media outlets, his thoughts were well received, and for some good reasons: he commanded US troops in Afghanistan, and his military career was such that it lends credence to any thoughts he [...]

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Afghanistan Things

by Joshua Foust

Some links, because it’s all too exhausting to cover in any detail. Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand, is out, part of an anti-graft move by Hamid Karzai. Mangal is beloved by the US and UK because he was seen as better than the former government of Helmand, Sher Muhammad Akhunzada, who was found with [...]

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