 RFE/RL Afghanistan Report 05.05.2009 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan.For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page . |
 Karzai's Choice Of Running Mate Draws Criticism Afghan President Hamid Karzai registered to run for reelection on May 4 and named former Vice President and Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim to run with him as the senior of two vice presidents. Once Afghanistan's most powerful warlord, Fahim’s choice as Karzai running mate has drawn considerable criticism. More  EU Seems To Be Getting Serious About Southern Energy The EU's energy summit in Prague on May 8 -- with leaders of key Central Asian and South Caucasian states, as well as Turkey -- will mark a milestone in the bloc's effort to lessen its dependence on Russian fossil energy reserves, key among them natural gas. Senior EU officials briefing journalists in Brussels ahead of the summit said the bloc is prepared to give "whatever" political, economic, and financial support needed to pipeline projects needed to forge direct links with countries around the Caspian Sea. More  Kabul Discounts Proselytizing Reports By U.S. Soldiers Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television has broadcast a report showing U.S. soldiers at Afghanistan's Bagram Air Field with a shipment of Christian Bibles in the Dari and Pashto languages. The report suggests that some U.S. soldiers may have, on their own accord, tried to distribute Bibles to Afghans. But the U.S. military denies that allegation. And a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai tells RFE/RL the report appears to be "false, hypocritical, and baseless." More  Obama Policy Faces Hurdles Even As It's Launched As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares for talks with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts, his new "Af-Pak" strategy for combating extremism and restoring stability in the region is already facing rapidly evolving challenges. More  Afghan Government Removes Beggars From Kabul Streets On April 30, local authorities in Kabul began removing all beggars from the streets. The plan follows a resolution by the council of ministers -- headed by President Hamid Karzai -- from November that outlawed begging on the streets. More  Parsing Obama's 'Af-Pak' Strategy In an interview with RFE/RL, strategic affairs analyst Julian Lindley-French says the next two years will be critical for Western stabilization efforts in Afghanistan, and suggests U.S. President Barack Obama's new "Af-Pak" strategy will require a robust economic development plan to succeed. More  Will We See A Pashtun War And Peace? As the world media focuses on the ongoing bloodshed in the Pashtun-populated regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghan journalist Dawood Azami, writing for the BBC, wants the world to also see how Pashtuns are yearning for peace. More  Obama Seeks 'New Basis For Relationships' Abroad The list of urgent problems facing U.S. President Barack Obama is no shorter than it was on January 20, but even critics acknowledge it's been a whirlwind start. And Obama has not let the economic crisis prevent him from tackling important foreign-policy initiatives. More |
