Upcoming Event at American University on Afghan Women
April 22nd, 2011 by Anna
Next Friday, April 29, America Abroad Media (a non-profit organization in Washington, DC that produces a monthly, hour-long documentary radio program on foreign affairs for broadcast on NPR stations across the country) is hosting a “town hall” event at American University’s Katzen Center from 7:30-9am. They will be connecting DC’s local WAMU radio station with a radio station in Kabul to facilitate a discussion on women’s rights in Afghanistan.
The flyer for the event is available here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Events, Women | Comment »
Senator Rockefeller Calls for U.S. to Leave Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya
April 21st, 2011 by Naureen
On Tuesday, during a visit to the Charleston Gazette, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) called for increased scrutiny of the military budget and for the U.S. to immediately end operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. “We should be out of Iraq this year altogether,” he said. “We are not going to win. It is not in the cards. Many Asian countries have a totally tribal culture. It is the same thing in Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Libya, Military, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
Adelman Calls for Congressional Cuts to Foreign Aid Budgets
April 19th, 2011 by Kyle
Writing at Foreign Policy, Ken Adelman, asserts that support for the U.S. foreign assistance budget is misguided and that arguments in support of these programs become “shallower” upon closer investigation. He argues that: “Four of the largest U.S. foreign-aid recipients today — Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, and Afghanistan — all take contrary positions on issues of critical importance to the White House.” Adelman also criticizes a recent article by Joseph Nye, stating that Nye’s argument over the relationship between foreign aid and the U.S.’s ability influence decisions in these countries is “unclear at best.” He cites Israel as an example as “Israel, rebuffs Washington constantly, on momentous issues of peace,” and is also the “No. 1 recipient of U.S. aid.” Adelman argues that countries initially view foreign aid with gratitude, but eventually with “entitlement.” On the issue of development assistance, Adelman believes that the top recipients of U.S. foreign assistance have not “developed all that much” and if they did it “could be due to other factors.” In closing he argues that the U.S. “soft power” namely the State Department has failed to effectively fund “modern-day freedom fighters” in Libya, Iran, Syria and Egypt.
Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Israel, Libya, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “American Foreign Policy: A View from the Senate”
April 6th, 2011 by Kyle
On Wednesday, The Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Advanced Governmental Studies hosted an event focused on American foreign policy, entitled, “American Foreign Policy: A View From the Senate.” The event was moderated by Robert J. Guttman, founder and chair of the Center on Politics and Foreign Relations, and Richard McGregor, the Financial Times Washington Bureau Chief. The speaker at the event was Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
For full notes, continue below or click here.
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Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Libya, Military, Protests, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Winning or Losing the ‘End State’ in Iraq”
March 11th, 2011 by Naureen
On Tuesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted an event in which Michael Corbin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs for Iraq issues discussed the strategic challenges facing Iraq as the State Department prepares to take the lead on U.S. operations in 2012. Anthony H. Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS moderated the event and made opening remarks.
To read full notes, continue below or click here for pdf.
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Posted in Afghanistan, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Military, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
Feinstein Critical of Middle East Intelligence, Cautions Obama on Intervention in Libya
March 8th, 2011 by Naureen
On Tuesday, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) criticized the CIA and the intelligence community for failing to predict the uprising in the Middle East. She stated that U.S. intelligence failed to warn about growing instability in Egypt, Yemen, and Bahrain and blamed their inadequacy on the lack of “the right ‘human assets’” gathering information on the ground. She also cautioned the Obama Administration against intervening in Libya without international support as it may lead to U.S. involvement in the Libya on a similar scale to our involvement in Afghanistan.
Posted in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Libya, Protests, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
Clinton’s Statement at Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing
March 3rd, 2011 by Naureen
Speaking in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on State and Foreign Operations, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed her recent meetings with world leaders in Geneva over the situation in Libya and stated that the USAID had deployed humanitarian teams to help refugees fleeing to Tunisia and Egypt. She also stated that the situation in the region and in Libya is an example of this administration’s use of combined assets of diplomacy, development, and defense, which is only successful with “a budget that supports all the tools in our national security arsenal.” Clinton also stated that Americans are seeing returns on their investments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan and across the Middle East where we have been working to “open up political systems, economies, and societies,” and are supporting democratic transitions. She also discussed the cuts that have already been made by the department following the QDDR recommendations and argued that the 16 percent cut for the State Department and USAID, which passed in the House last month, would be devastating to our national security. “Each time we shrink from global leadership, events summon us back to reality” and often at an unspeakable cost. She also stated, “[T]he world has never been in greater need of the qualities that distinguish us, our openness and innovation, our determination, our devotion to universal values. Everywhere I travel, I see people looking to us for leadership.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Libya, Reform, Sudan, Tunisia | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges”
March 2nd, 2011 by Naureen
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held an open hearing to assess U.S. foreign policy priorities in light of the country’s current economic challenges. The Committee — chaired by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and with Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) in attendance — requested the testimony of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
To see full notes, continue below or click here for pdf. To see webcast, click here.
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Posted in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Protests, Reform, sanctions, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
Afghanistan: Parliamentary Election Results Announced
November 24th, 2010 by Evan
On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s Independent Electoral Commission released the results from the September parliamentary elections for 34 of 35 voting districts. A loose coalition led by former presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah won over 90 of the 249 seats in the lower house of the Afghan parliament and will form a quasi-opposition to President Hamid Karzai’s parliamentary allies. Christian Science Monitor reports that the winners were disproportionally members of the Hazara ethnic community, largely because continued violence in Pashtun regions kept voters at home. The Electoral Commission also announced that three more preliminary winners were disqualified for fraud, bringing the total number of disqualified candidate to 24.
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections | Comment »
Afghanistan: Final Election Results Wednesday, 21 Candidates Disqualified
November 23rd, 2010 by Jason
The final results of the September elections for the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of parliament) will be announced by the Independent Election Commission on Wednesday. The announcement will come on the heels of 21 candidates who “earned a winning number of votes in their distric,” being disqualified “‘[d]ue to irregularities, usage of fake votes and the influence of provincial officials, which created electoral fraud,’” according to Ahmad Zia Rafat, a member of the five-person Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) panel.
Warren P. Strobel and Habib Zohori, in an article for McClatchey, focus on the results in Ghazni province, where Hazara candidates (an ethnic minority) were able to take all 11 provincial seats. “What happened in Ghazni is in dispute. While Pashtun candidates say their votes were stolen, there’s little doubt that polls in the province were among the messiest of a very messy campaign.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Political Parties, Sectarianism | Comment »
Afghanistan: Electoral Process “Mired in Uncertainty”
November 17th, 2010 by Jason
Scott Worden writes that “[p]rotests have become frequent occurrences in Jalalabad, Khost, Kabul and Herat. Afghan media have aired a variety of audio and video recordings purporting to catch government and IEC [Independent Election Commission] officials in the act of committing fraud [...] Welcome to the messy end-game of Afghanistan’s second Parliamentary election.” Worden goes on to chronicle a number of difficulties resulting from the election (the preliminary results of which were released a month ago), including failed candidates’ attempts to impugn the process (made less difficult due to a “lack of transparency in the process of invalidating ballots and deciding complaints”), the perception that President Hamid Karzai is attempting to interfere in some cases, and an overall lack of transparency from Afghanistan’s IEC and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). Worden does praise the IEC for its anti-corruption efforts, and offers several recommendations that would help “preserve what is left of the process so that no further damage is done to the rule of law or the credibility of the final results.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Civil Society, Elections | Comment »
Afghanistan: Election Fraud Triggers Investigation
November 4th, 2010 by Jason
Accusations of voter fraud in Afghanistan’s September elections have triggered an investigation by the country’s attorney general, according to Joshua Partlow in today’s Washington Post. “Deputy Attorney General Rahmatullah Nazari said his staff has begun investigating nine cases in which election officials, all but one of them at the Kabul headquarters of the Independent Election Commission, are accused of rigging votes.” Afghan officials announced following the election that 1.3 million of the 5.6 million total ballots cast had to be disqualified because of likely fraud.
Posted in Afghanistan, Civil Society, Elections | Comment »
POMED Notes: “What Next for Afghanistan? A Post-Election Analysis”
October 20th, 2010 by Anna
On Monday, October 18th, the Brookings Institution held an event called “What Next for Afghanistan? A Post-Election Analysis.” The panel was moderated by Martin Indyk, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. The panelists were Thomas Garrett, Vice President for Programs at the International Republican Institute; Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution; Vanda Felbab-Brown, Fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Gerard Russell, Former Senior Political Adviser for Afghanistan. The group discussed the recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, focusing on polling irregularities, voter intimidation, tabulation errors, prospects for peace talks between President Hamid Karzai and Taliban leaders, and the future of the U.S. and NATO role in the country.
(For the full notes, continue reading below. Or, click here for the PDF.)
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Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Events, Taliban, US foreign policy | Comment »
Afghanistan: O’Hanlon Sees “Basis For Hope”
September 29th, 2010 by Jason
Writing in Politico, Michael O’Hanlon, who recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan, argues that the outlook for that country is more positive than has been reported. “I saw more basis for hope than recent perceptions in the United States would allow.” O’Hanlon describes several reasons for optimism: “Four million in turnout is not bad for a midterm election in a troubled, war-torn country[...]Whatever Karzai’s limitations, there are a number of impressive reformers within his Cabinet and an improving slate of provincial governors.” O’Hanlon does concede that there will be continuing difficulties, including dealing with corruption and the growing insurgency.
In contrast, Vygaudas Usackas, the EU representative in Afghanistan, sees the Afghan electoral system as an impediment to a modern democracy according to a report by Radio Free Europe. Usackas is concerned with the “single non-transferable vote” system, which he believes is complicating the “development of political parties,” and which others describe as “encouraging patron-client relationships within constituencies.” He also emphasizes the need for a new census, saying, “‘We don’t know how many inhabitants [there] are in Afghanistan — is it 20 million or 40 million?[...]How many eligible voters are [there]? There are no proper voters’ register.’”
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Reform, Taliban | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The Struggle for a Democratic Future in Afghanistan: The 2010 Parliamentary Elections”
September 27th, 2010 by Anna
On Monday, September 27th, the Middle East Institute held an event entitled “The Struggle for a Democratic Future in Afghanistan: The 2010 Parliamentary Elections.” Kate Seelye, Vice President of Programs and Communications for MEI, introduced the two speakers: Marvin Weinbaum, scholar at the Middle East Institute, and Caroline Wadhams, Director for South Asia Security Studies at the Center for American Progress. Both recently returned from trips to Afghanistan, where they were monitoring the recent elections there. Seelye asked the speakers to discuss what they saw, as well as address the impact that the elections and their results might have for Afghanistan and for Washington’s engagement there.
(To read the full event summary, continue below. Or click here for the pdf.)
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Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Foreign Aid, Taliban, US foreign policy | Comment »
Afghanistan: Despite Flaws, Elections Essential for Nation Building
September 20th, 2010 by Evan
An editorial in The National suggests that no matter how flawed, elections in Afghanistan are an essential step toward building a national identity: “The national project has never taken firm root in Afghanistan – tribes often reject the sovereignty of the provincial governments, much less the federal government in Kabul. The elections officials who are risking their lives in the hinterlands are engaged in an effort of nation-building. Fragile as it is, the alternative is to abandon the country to fragmentation.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Civil Society, Elections | Comment »
Afghanistan: Election Wrap Up
September 20th, 2010 by Evan
Following last Saturday’s parliamentary election in Afghanistan both international and local observers documented widespread fraud. In its preliminary report, the Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA)
reported extensive voter intimidation, use of fake voter identification cards, ballot stuffing, and intimidation of electoral observers, among other irregularities. Despite these issues, FEFA hailed the participation of Afghan voters in the face of security threats: “The participation of voters and the security arrangements put in place for voting were the most encouraging aspects of Election Day. Against the backdrop of a violent campaign season, millions bravely voted anyway, demonstrating again that the people of Afghanistan are strongly committed to democracy.” The National Democratic Institute also
published a report calling on the international community to continue to monitor developments in Afghanistan as the votes are counted: “The tabulation of votes has yet to begin, official results have not yet been announced, and election complaints must still be processed and resolved by election authorities. Election-related problems may be revealed during the coming weeks, including serious abuses that may have occurred in insecure and inaccessible areas of the country.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections | Comment »
Gates on Preparations for Afghan Elections
September 17th, 2010 by Evan
At a joint press conference yesterday with French Defense Minister
Herve Morin, Secretary of State
Robert Gates said he believes that Afghanistan has a “capable and competent” security strategy for the September 18 parliamentary elections. According to Gates, the Afghan army has improved significantly over the past months. Morin concurred: “I can see actually very, very visible improvements,” he said, adding “At the beginning, I saw an army that was not an army … Now they are military troops and they’re perfectly able to conduct operations, sometimes with the support of ISAF, but they’re able to conduct operations.” Despite security improvements, Gates acknowledged that results will likely be contested: “You have a lot of these parliamentary seats that have as many as 10 people running … That means nine people are going to be unhappy after the election. So we’ll just have to wait and see. I think there is a good adjudication process that has been put in place so I hope that we will see a credible election in which improprieties are at a minimum.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections | Comment »
Afghanistan: Election Violations Unexamined
September 17th, 2010 by Anna
The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan has called on the Electoral Complaints Commission to “decisively adjudicate all complaints submitted after Saturday’s parliamentary elections.” FEFA election observers reportedly submitted 583 reports of election violations (including candidates using state funds for their campaigns and government representatives illegally supporting candidates) over a period of about five weeks. They also found numerous cases of election-related intimidation, including threats from the Taliban to kill candidates. According to FEFA’s executive director Jandad Spinghar, “[f]ew candidates were sanctioned for electoral offenses, and the candidates the commission did sanction were not the most serious offenders.” Spinghar added that recent incidents of election-related violence demonstrate “policy-makers’ lack of commitment to transitional justice over the past nine years.” FEFA chairman Nader Nadery still sought to reassure voters, and said: “We encourage voters to exercise their political rights, and our observers will be there to watch whether they can do so freely.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Political Parties, Taliban | Comment »
Afghanistan: Election Hopes and Doubts
September 16th, 2010 by Jason
With the Taliban calling for a boycott and some in the Hazara community already complaining about interference in the voting process, this Saturday’s parliamentary elections will likely be a fractious event. Writing at The Diplomat, Karlos Zurutuza takes the temperature of Afghans in Kabul. Many seem to have already decided on a candidate for reasons ranging from shared ethnic identity to simple competence. In a hopeful sign, 410 women are running for seats in parliament according to Zurutuza. The bustle and relative safety of Kabul, however, masks the very real problem of providing security for citizens and international observers in other areas of the country. A German government envoy says that he will “…probably never leave the compound during his five-week tour” in Kunduz, while others will never leave Kabul. A member of USAID describes his mission as “…monitor[ing] the whole election process” because, “‘If these elections turn into an embarrassing fraud like the previous ones, pressure from public opinion to end the mission in Afghanistan will be insurmountable.’”
Posted in Afghanistan, Civil Society, Elections, Taliban, US foreign policy | Comment »
