English Articles
The Taliban’s harsh new ‘vice and virtue’ laws are a throwback to the oppression of the 1990s – especially for the women of Afghanistan
The Conversation, August 29, 2024
Until the collapse of Afghanistan’s US-backed government in August 2021, few knew clearly what the Taliban wanted once they had returned to power. Some western officials and observers hoped for a big change from the regime, which had governed the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate in the 1990s....
Read MoreThe Taliban is not playing straight with the west over easing of sanctions
The Conversation, April 14, 2023
The economic and political isolation of Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in August 2021 has worsened a humanitarian crisis in the country. The World Food Program has projected that between November 2022 and March 2023 the number of food-insecure Afghans would rise to 20 million — 3.2 million of them under the age of five. Some 6 million people were classed in urgent need of assistance....
Read MoreBook Talk at the University of Pittsburgh: Patriarchal Hierarchy; Market Capitalism and Production in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
University Of Pittsburgh, April 18, 2023
The event discusses a book by Dr Kambaiz Rafi which is derived and builds on his PhD research on manufacturing activities in Afghanistan that he completed at UCL in mid-2021. The book is the product of Dr Rafi’s nearly four years of research which analyses extensive empirical data gathered in the field during a year in Afghanistan in 2018....
Read MoreBook Talk at King’s College London on Patriarchal Hierarchy; Market Capitalism and Production in Afghanistan
Medium, March 9, 2023
The book is the product of Dr Rafi’s nearly four years of research which analyses extensive empirical data gathered in the field during a year in Afghanistan in 2018. The book’s theoretical contribution takes aim at the methodological foundations of market-led economic policy....
Read MoreBook introduction at University College London
Mixcloud, November 9, 2022
The event discusses a book by Dr Kambaiz Rafi which is derived and builds on his PhD research on manufacturing activities in Afghanistan that he completed at DPU in mid-2021. Dr Rafi is now an ESRC post-doctoral fellow at SOAS Development Studies....
Listen to podcastAfghanistan: with civil war on the cards, the west needs to identify a moderate ally to support
The Conversation, October 24, 2022
The event discusses a book by Dr Kambaiz Rafi which is derived and builds on his PhD research on manufacturing activities in Afghanistan that he completed at DPU in mid-2021. Dr Rafi is now an ESRC post-doctoral fellow at SOAS Development Studies....
Read MoreWhat’s next for Afghanistan? Two experts make predictions
The Conversation, November 30, 2021
In late August 2021, the US completed its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year occupation. The Taliban retook the country with shocking speed. The Islamic fundamentalist political group was founded in 1994 and controlled most of Afghanistan until the US-led campaign ousted it in 2001. Now it faces the challenge of forming a new government....
Read MoreWill China Replace the US in Afghanistan?
Rusi, October 14, 2021
The Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on 15 August has strengthened speculation regarding a rising Chinese role in Afghanistan to replace the US-led coalition’s two-decade-long presence. The Taliban....
Read MoreAfghanistan: Taliban face many obstacles to governing — not least their violent methods
The Conversation, septembre 21, 2021
Afghanistan has been nicknamed the “graveyard of empires” in reference to the failure of colonial attempts to govern it. Yet this often distracts from the sombre fact that anyone — whether insiders or outsiders — who has tried to establish control over the whole country has met with resistance. The speed at which the....
Read MoreUS must not neglect responsibility to Afghans post-pullout
Asia Times, May 3, 2021
Absent a drastic change in the battlefield or an unlikely contingency, the 20-year US-led campaign in Afghanistan has been declared over. The remaining 2,500 US troops will be pulled out by September 11, 2021, President Joe Biden has declared. NATO countries with forces in the country are following suit....
Read MoreAfghanistan in Need of Systemic Reforms to Avoid Election Stand-Offs
AFghanistan Center at Kabul University, march 14, 2020
A day before the dual presidential inaugurals in Kabul, the US peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had a last-minute inconsequential meeting with one of the two claimants to the presidency, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, to change his mind. Details of which were shared by Hasht-I Subh, an Afghan newspaper....
Read MoreWhat’s next for Afghanistan amid Covid, political logjam
Asia Times, April 29, 2020
It makes for a gripping intellectual exercise to study a country in the throes of a pivotal change that throws it off its familiar path. The study of such turnabout moments in Afghanistan, however, is not as promising, because of their sheer frequency....
Read MoreThe Long War in Afghanistan Might be Over. Who Won?
The Diplomat, March 08, 2020
The recent peace road map signed in Doha between the United States and the Taliban is so far the closest the two sides have come to ending the so-called long war in Afghanistan....
Read MoreEthnic Supremacy Seeing Revival in Afghanistan
Asia Times, January 18, 2019
In a land of many ethnic groups, the Pashtuns are ‘more equal’ than the rest Asia Times, January 18, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi I am reminded of my short and sturdy-looking math teacher in a school built by Afghan refugees in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, where I had migrated with....
Read MoreLack of Info on Afghan Vote Recount Raises Eyebrows
Medium, November 14, 2019
With the two frontrunners in the September presidential poll both claiming victory, there is an urgent need to firm up the results Asia Times, November 14, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi Tensions surrounding the recent Afghan presidential elections are a despairing reminder that anti-....
Read MoreIran: Time is Now for Anti-War Activism
Asia Times, July 1, 2019
Sympathy surges when a troubling image makes its way into the media, but indifference soon returns — unless activists keep the opposition to war alive Asia Times, July 1, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi Most people who saw the photo of Alan Kurdi, the drowned Kurdish-Syrian toddler lying....
Read MoreTrust, Naivety, and Negotiating With the Afghan Taliban
The Diplomat, May 20, 2019
Not talking to the Taliban is counterproductive, but going too far is naive The Diplomat Magazine, May 20, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi The Taliban have suddenly transformed from a ruthless terrorist group into a reliable negotiating partner. The presumption that they will....
Read MoreISKP vs Taliban: Impasse in Afghan Peace Process
Asia Times, November 4, 2019
An ISIS affiliate is increasing its appeal among jihadist hardliners Asia Times, November 4, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi A growing appeal of Islamic State (ISIS) is pushing the Afghan peace process toward a delicate balance. Too much eagerness for peace among the Taliban leadership might....
Read MoreInfighting Among Different Taliban Factions Can Weaken The Group
The Diplomat, August 12, 2015
The death of Mullah Omar will lead to the slow disintegration of what we once knew as the Taliban Now that Mullah Omar’s death is confirmed, what remains to be seen is how the Taliban movement can survive through the....
Read MoreProduction During Times of Instability
The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), June 11, 2019
My PhD research took me to Kabul where I spent nine months visiting manufacturing firms and conducting interviews. After my fieldwork, I worked for over four months as advisor to the minister of....
Read MoreWhy a Strategic Port in Iran Was Exempted from Sanctions
Asia Times, November 12, 2018
For the US, it makes more sense to allow India to continue developing Chabahar port than for China to ‘hijack’ yet another strategically important port Asia Times, November 12, 2018 By Kambaiz Rafi A port in Chabahar, Iran’s southernmost city, was exempted by Secretary of State....
Read MoreReleasing Taliban prisoners may prolong war
Asia Times, June 15, 2019
Many Islamist militants captured in Afghanistan will quickly return to the battlefield when they emerge from jail, some out of loyalty to the cause and others due to social pressures Asia Times, June 15, 2019 BY Kambaiz Rafi Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently granted amnesty....
Read MoreGive Ordinary Afghans a Voice in Any Peace Deal With the Taliban
Global Security Review, June 7, 2019
Recent negotiations between the U.S. peace envoy Zalmai Khalilzad and the Taliban’s newly appointed political chief Mullah Ghani Baradar have made rare progress, bringing the two sides closer to signing a pact. Negotiations....
Read MoreThe Political Ramifications of Trump’s Haste to Make Peace with the Taliban
GLobal Security Review, December 11, 2018
The same week NASA announced the successful landing of its probe InSight on Mars, violence erupted in Kabul, Afghanistan....
Read MoreAfghanistan’s Institutional Credibility Crisis and Likelihood of ‘Sheepish Elections’
Eurasia Review, June 21, 2018
Beyond the ongoing militant insurgency, international allies’ attention on Afghanistan proper — internal politics, society and economic development — has gradually diminished following the drawdown of most of the international forces and due to other rising global concerns — take immigration, Syria, Yemen and Donald Trump’s....
Read MorePeace With Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Not A Good News for Afghans
The Diplomat,vMay 16, 2016
By making peace with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is the Afghan National Unity Government inviting future troubles? In perhaps the first sign of real progress in peace talks between the Afghan government and insurgent groups, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — who was....
Read MoreICT in Development; a Contextual Approach
Sage Journals, October 8, 2018
The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in economic development is a topic that still raises contention. The view held commonly among global development institutions — the World Bank, UN, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and so on — is that it plays a positive role. Within a new approach to the role....
Read MoreHamid Karzai Wielding Influence on Afghan Politics After Leaving Office
The Diplomat, July 25, 2015
The former Afghan president is leveraging a personal network to exercise influence beyond his term The Diplomat Magazine, July 25, 2015 By Kambaiz Rafi Hamid Karzai, president of....
Read MoreThe Afghan Insurgency and the Uncertainty of Peace Negotiations
Terrorism Analysts, November 5, 2015
Afghanistan’s security situation remains precarious. The surprise takeover of the Kunduz city in North Afghanistan by the Taliban in late September 2015 [1] marks the culminating point in a series of insurgent push backs following the drawdown of the coalition forces. The Taliban combat capability which....
Read MoreThe Taliban’s Enemies, Foreign and Domestic
Foreign Policy, July 6, 2015
Any expansion of the Islamic State into Afghanistan is worrying enough to disquiet the Taliban, and it changes the nature of the insurgency. Afghanistan and Pakistan need to respond accordingly....
Read MoreTo Defeat or Contain the Islamic State
Medium, November 5, 2014
There are two ways to deal with the Islamic State (or ISIL). One is presently seen in action — US and ally warplanes fly over Iraq and Syria, targeting ISIL hideouts and their militias. The other less popular method is to....
Read MoreMedium, The Aftermath of the Kabul Unity Government
October 10, 2014
In a bid to outmaneuver his opponent, Ashraf Ghani, the head of the Unity Government of Afghanistan made sure to publicize the written confirmation of the presidential election results. The back channel agreement....
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