 RFE/RL Afghanistan Report 10/13/2009 3:44:57 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan.For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page . |
 NATO Chief: Focus On 'Practical Cooperation' With Russia NATO's new secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, said in an interview on October 7 that NATO seeks to persuade Russia the alliance is "not an enemy." Equally, Rasmussen said he does not think Russia poses a threat to the alliance. But Rasmussen also vowed that Georgia and Ukraine will one day join NATO. Rasmussen spoke to RFE/RL about these statements. More  Central Asian Trade Ministers Look To Boost Ties With U.S. Trade ministers from five Central Asia countries and Afghanistan are in Washington this week for talks on expanding trade and investment. More  Afghans Criticize UN Role In Presidential Vote A group of political activists in Afghanistan have called for transparency in the electoral process and urged the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to stay unbiased in the process, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reports. More Dozens of Afghan women protested against the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IECA) for allegedly allocating less seats for women on the country's provincial councils, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan reported. More  Controversy Grows Over UN Mission's Role Amid protests in Kabul by political activists and nongovernmental organizations against the United Nations' role in Afghanistan's contentious presidential election, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has increasingly found itself mired in infighting among some of its top diplomats. More  With UN Bombing, Taliban Attempts A Comeback Taliban fighters in Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed five people at the offices of the UN's World Food Program in Islamabad. The attack and recent media interviews by some Pakistani Taliban leaders suggest the group is trying to rebound from senior deaths and arrests. More  Gates, Clinton Present Common U.S. Policy Front As discussions intensify in Washington over the direction of U.S. foreign policy, President Barack Obama has deployed his defense and diplomacy chiefs to make the administration's case. More  Afghans Prepare For Tourism Development As instability and violence continue in Afghanistan, some are laying the groundwork for a better future. Despite the odds, the country's rich cultural history, scenic landscapes, and remote locations are helping spark a tourism revival. More  Building A Viable Afghan Army Western governments are pressing for Afghan forces to take on a greater role in countering the violent insurgency. But critics have expressed doubts as to whether, at this stage, the Afghan military can play the primary role in stabilizing the country. More  Khalilzad, Vendrell On Afghan Postelection Crisis In exclusive interviews with RFE/RL, Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, and former Spanish diplomat and peacemaker Francesc Vendrell weigh in on how to resolve the current postelection crisis in Afghanistan. More  The New Front In The Afghan War With Western eyes focused on fighting the Taliban in Afghan's south and east, security in the previously peaceful north has dramatically worsened. Taliban numbers are growing, too few Afghan forces patrol, and German troops sent for reconstruction are reluctant to switch to a full combat role. More  Plight Of 'Forgotten' Afghan, Tajik Prisoners Brought To Light Can Afghanistan's nascent free press act as a gadfly to prod the country's famously slow bureaucracy to act on forgotten cases? One radio listener hoped so and called in with a curious request. The listener -- an Afghan citizen imprisoned in Tajikistan -- wanted the show to look into what happened to a year-old agreement to repatriate Afghan prisoners to their home country. More |
