lun, 06/13/2016 - 17:09

Sins of the father do not apply to the Orlando nightclub attacker

The media spotlight has focused on the father of the Orlando shooting suspect, Omar Mateen. But if we’re looking for a “sins of the father” scenario, the closest we can get is that the Mateen father and son are both nut jobs.
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mar, 11/03/2015 - 19:35

Another video of another Afghan woman killed, this time for adultery

Earlier this year, it was Farkhunda, an Islamic studies student who was lynched in Kabul. Now, it's Rokhsahana, a young Afghan woman whose death by stoning was captured on video.We’re in an era of one-name victims of gruesome gender violence.
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ven, 07/19/2013 - 10:54

Malala’s got mail from the Taliban, but what in the world does it mean?

A Pakistani Taliban commander’s letter to Malala Yousafzai is a sort of madcap Islamist version of William Hazlitt’s “On the conduct of life, or advice to a school-boy”.
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jeu, 06/20/2013 - 19:09

Riding the ‘talking to the Taliban’ train, with the brakes jammed

The “talking to the Taliban” policy was doomed to fail from the start. But it has seeped into the international agenda by osmosis and although the boat is sinking, it’s now too late to desert the ship.
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mar, 08/14/2012 - 22:11

Succession Sagas: Daddy Is a Warlord, Junior Has a Foreign Degree

A new Time magazine article chronicling the return of mujahedin scions educated in “some of the world’s best schools” is surprisingly long on commendation and short on condemnation.
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ven, 07/13/2012 - 16:42

For Afghanistan, a Glimmer of Hope – and Further Complications

Afghanistan is under the spotlight again with the recent unfolding of three critical developments: US's apology over a fatal air strike, Hilary Clinton's Kabul visit and aid donations.
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lun, 05/21/2012 - 13:40

Showcase Chicago: The NATO Summit

Seasoned NATO observers know to expect few surprises during this year’s NATO summit. After an ambitious effort at Lisbon in 2010 ushered in NATO’s new strategic concept, Chicago was always meant to be more about implementation than big or new ideas.
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mer, 12/21/2011 - 15:48

On Afghan Child Brides, Drug Lords and Chatting With One Insanely Courageous Reporter

When it comes to the Afghan drug business, there are plenty of statistics and reports. But few have managed to paint a human face of the multibillion dollar drug trade the way Fariba Nawa has done in her new book, “Opium Nation”.
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mer, 09/21/2011 - 21:09

In death, as in life, Rabbani fails to bring peace

Burhanuddin Rabbani, the man who oversaw Afghanistan’s descent into a brutal civil war, was killed while trying to make peace with an old enemy. But whoever thought the canny septuagenarian could have brought peace in the first place?
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jeu, 06/30/2011 - 00:37

Relief comes amid questions as French journalists are finally released in Afghanistan

Wednesday saw some good news for a change: the release of the two French journalists, Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier, who had been held hostage in Afghanistan for the past 18 months. I was at work when the news broke.
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