Abubakar Siddique, a journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, specializes in the coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is the author of The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key To The Future Of Pakistan And Afghanistan.
A new survey has concluded that Hamid Karzai's popularity is soaring among Afghans, and it could happen at a better time for the newly reelected president.
The legal fortunes of private security personnel engaged in U.S. war efforts took decidedly different turns this week. But separate cases involving contractors working in Afghanistan and Iraq had at least one thing in common: They combined to heighten concerns over Washington's use of nonmilitary personnel to help fight its battles.
Since the Afghan parliament rejected some cabinet nominees with ties to regional strongmen, President Hamid Karzai is reportedly under pressure to renominate their choices. Many Afghans, however, seem optimistic that the rejection is a sign that the influence such powerbrokers is in decline.
The Afghan parliament will reconvene this week to reconsider President Hamid Karzai's new nominees for 17 cabinet posts. In an unexpected move on January 2, the Afghan parliament rejected two-thirds of Karzai's nominees. Parliamentarians still warn that candidates associated with warlords and militias might be rejected once again.
Afghanistan's election commission has announced that the country's parliamentary elections will be held in May this year. But with the country still stinging from a presidential contest in August that revealed significant shortfalls in its electoral processes, the government will face many of the same obstacles: violence, low turnout, voter fraud, and lack of security in rural areas.
The port city had been relatively quiet since the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto, but residents fear all stability is now gone.
Even as the Afghan parliament began questioning President Hamid Karzai's nominees to his new cabinet ahead of its confirmation vote, presidential allies and opponents alike are expressing concern over the lack of fresh faces.
Efforts to improve Afghanistan's dysfunctional judicial system have been plagued by inefficiency, bribery, and nepotism. Reform efforts appear to be failing to the point that many Afghans are turning to another power for justice -- the Taliban.
Some war-weary Afghans don't want thousands of fresh U.S. troops to fight the Taliban.
Eight years after the war against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan began, U.S. President Barack Obama has unveiled a new strategy "to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat" the extremist network. But the success of the strategy largely depends on Pakistan.
As Pakistan launches a fresh offensive against insurgents in the country's northwest, residents of the city of Peshawar have been caught in the crossfire. In the wake of a string of bombings that has killed hundreds, survivors have been forced to adapt to the constant threat of violence.
A grand inauguration ceremony will mark the beginning of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's second term in office on November 19. Will the Afghan leader respond to calls for improved security and services and better governance, or will the changes sought remain wishful thinking?
Pakistani officials have reacted harshly to a recent report that questioned the security of the country's nuclear arsenal. Pakistani experts don't discount the threat extremism poses to the nuclear-armed state, but express confidence that adequate measures are in place to ensure the weapons remain in safe hands.
In the wake of his reelection, President Hamid Karzai is facing intense international pressure to move decisively against the corruption that affects all aspects of life in Afghanistan. But what is the scale of corruption in the country, how does it systematically undermine efforts to establish stability, and what would it take to stem the growing menace?
President Hamid Karzai has vowed to form a government that will include all Afghans. But to form a workable government -- one that can deliver security and economic prosperity to Afghans, reconciliation with the Taliban insurgency, and a recalibration of the country's rocky relationship with the international community -- Karzai will have to overcome immense obstacles.
Karzai has been presented with an opportunity to pull off his political rebirth. His first task will be to reach out to Abdullah and other political opponents so that political friction won’t morph into violence. He can also potentially turn a page in his relationship with the international community.
In the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore today, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated the Obama administration's resolve to help Islamabad in its complex struggle against extremism. Experts suggest that while Clinton's visit might be a good start to improving ties between Washington and Islamabad, much more will be needed to establish a stable relationship.
As campaigning for Afghanistan's November 7 presidential runoff begins, incumbent President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah are competing not only for votes. Facing an uncertain political landscape, the candidates' camps are also trying to strengthen their respective bargaining positions. With the electorate worried by renewed threats of violence and disheartened by the brazen fraud and protracted controversies that marred the first round, the political alignments in Afghanistan seem to be in flux.
Former Spanish diplomat Francesc Vendrell, who served as a special envoy for Afghanistan for the United Nations and the European Union, weighs in on the ongoing political crisis in Afghanistan.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has just wrapped up a three-day visit to Eastern Europe. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Biden said he believes he has successfully allayed fears that U.S. efforts to improve relations with Russia could come at the expense of Washington's Eastern European allies.
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