Afghanistan

Between Afghanistan and Pakistan there are probably a record number of organizations dedicated to terrorist activities, some hundreds if even the smallest ones are counted. In practice, the 'terrorists' of Afghanistan and Pakistan can be grouped into five groups: 

• The Afghan Taliban, involved in terrorist activities mainly through the Haqqani network, which operate against Western presence in Afghanistan and against the Afghans accused of collaborating with them;

This week, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bharam Qasemi expressed Iran’s support for the upcoming elections in Afghanistan, saying Tehran will accept any result.

To resolve "historical misunderstandings" and end the longstanding "undeclared state of war" with Pakistan, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani made what was seen as a contentious, groundbreaking attempt to reconcile with a country many Afghans see as their enemy.

Afghanistan remains an awkward fit within China’s Belt and Road Initiative concept. Look at most maps of Xi Jinping’s keynote foreign policy concept cutting a route across Eurasia, and they tend to go tidily around Afghanistan.

La grand strategy degli Stati Uniti per l’Asia meridionale include la stabilizzazione dell’Afghanistan, in cui la componente militare mantiene un ruolo primario: in tale quadro strategico, in parallelo alla diplomazia, le forze statunitensi e afghane sono impegnate, attraverso bombardamenti aerei mirati e raid delle forze speciali, nel mantenere elevata la pressione sui talebani al fine di indurli a negoziare e ad aderire al processo di riconciliazione.

Fra pochi anni, quando presumibilmente sia gli Stati Uniti che la Nato saranno ancora impegnati in Afghanistan, la guerra più lunga nella storia americana compirà vent’anni. È dal 2001 che le forze americane e alleate si impegnano alla ricerca di una stabilizzazione, che tuttavia è ancora lontana a venire. Certo alcuni scopi strategici gli Stati Uniti li hanno già perseguiti con successo: la cattura di Bin Laden e la conversione dell’Afghanistan in un paese poco ospitale per i gruppi terroristici di matrice islamista.

Per capire l’orientamento dell’Italia nella vicenda afgana è necessario prendere in considerazione diversi aspetti: dalla permanenza del nostro contingente militare– fino a qualche settimana fa numericamente il secondo dopo quello statunitense – alla politica migratoria o di cooperazione civile.

Many Afghans are still wondering what exactly they will vote for on Saturday, and whether all of them will. While despite all shortcomings, parliamentary polls will go ahead on 20 October, the originally – and very optimistically – scheduled first-ever district council elections will apparently not be held.

Abstract

Illicit drug trade is an integral part of the recent history in Afghanistan and Colombia. The past few decades have seen narcotics have severe social, political and economic impact in both countries. This paper outlines the development of the narcotics industries in each country and synthesizes the commonalities that have arisen from this shared phenomenon. It seeks to highlight lessons that Afghanistan and Colombia can learn from each other and concludes with recommendations on a way forward from the current impasse.