 RFE/RL Afghanistan Report 28.05.2009 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan.For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page . |
 Change Of Tune In Opium Battle There appears to be growing recognition that the counternarcotics strategy in Afghanistan is failing. Military and civilian officials say too little support has been offered to farmers, and too little effort has focused on the powerful drug lords who spread instability throughout the region and farther abroad. More  Interview: Opium A 'Low-Risk Product For A High-Risk Environment' There is growing recognition that the battle against opium-poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is failing, and has made no serious dent in the country's position as the world's main source of opium. William Byrd, an adviser to the World Bank on fragile and conflict-affected countries, speaks with RFE/RL about Afghanistan's complex opium-eradication challenge. More  Amnesty Warns Of Combined Economic, Repression Effect In its latest report on the state of rights around the world, Amnesty International warns that many governments have failed abysmally to protect human rights, human lives, and livelihoods threatened by the economic downturn. The group also says the term "security" has been misused to undermine rights. More Officials in Afghanistan's Nimroz Province say thousands of books thought to have been printed in Iran were thrown into the Helmand River this month. More  'Pipeline Of Peace' Islamabad and Tehran have signed a 25-year deal under which Iran aims to export some 150 million cubic meters of gas to Pakistan per day. But there are some major obstacles to overcome before any Iranian gas actually crosses the border into Pakistan -- and even more before that gas can be routed to India. More  Petraeus Says Pakistan Is Finally Getting It In an RFE/RL exclusive, the head of U.S. Central Command talks about the Gitmo effect, deadlines in Iraq, and the militant Islamist threat. He also looks at successes and setbacks in South and Central Asia, and efforts to keep Afghan civilian casualties "to an absolute minimum." More Transcript: Complete Petraeus Interview General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command, sat down with RFE/RL Central Newsroom Director Jay Tolson in Prague on May 24 to talk about a wide range of issues. He answered questions about Guantanamo and "enhanced interrogation techniques," a looming deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal in Iraq, cutting off and combating militant Islamist extremists. Petraeus also talked about successes and setbacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region, and highlighted the need for internatio More Sixty women received diplomas from Kabul's American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), the country's first and only private university. More  Karzai Shows His Savvy Weeks before the start of the formal three-month campaign for Afghanistan's presidential vote, incumbent Hamid Karzai is maneuvering to stymie domestic political opposition and convince the international community that he remains an indispensible ally. More  History Lessons For Afghanistan's Green Zone There is a currently a proposal to establish a fortified region in Kabul to house diplomatic missions, and so better protect these from incidents of violence that continue to occur in Afghanistan’s capital. The idea is modeled on Baghdad's “Green Zone.” More  Politicians Struggle With Afghanistan Strategy With elections on the horizon, the leaders of Germany's two main parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, are cautiously trying to rally support for the country's role in Afghanistan. But with two-thirds of the population in favor of withdrawal, will Germany's engagement fall victim to the election campaign? More |
