We all have the word “Democracy” in our mouths and our media warn us against the authoritarian drifts of illiberal countries. However, some of us refuse to organize contradictory debates on the attacks of September 11 as well as on the reaction to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Phenomenon of Terrorism
Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XVI)
16. Biden’s Taliban blues The best part of the visit by the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolay Patrushev to New Delhi (September 7-8) was that the two countries may embark upon a voyage of discovery of each other at a phase in their relationship when […]
Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XV)
15. Enter regional states The Taliban hoisted their black and white flag on the presidential palace in Kabul on September 11, which happens to be the twentieth anniversary of the Al-Qaeda’s attack on New York and Washington, DC. The symbolism is too obvious to be missed. Although the Taliban had […]
Messianic Failure: Pursuing The GWOT Jabberwock
Anniversaries can provide occasions for reflection and deep consideration. Past errors and misjudgements can be considered soberly; historical distance provides perspective. Mature reflections may be permitted. But they can also serve the opposite purpose: to cake, cloak and mask the record. The gooey name GWOT, otherwise known as the Global […]
Afghan Protests: Foreign-Financed Color Revolution Or Genuine Grievances?
Regardless of whether one sympathizes with those protesters’ causes or not, it should be acknowledged that these disturbances could greatly destabilize Afghanistan at one of its most sensitive moments in modern history amid its historic political transition back to de facto Taliban rule following the West’s withdrawal last month after […]
Taliban Get A Government!
The regional states will be shell-shocked by the brazen way Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), coerced the Taliban to announce an interim government that is guaranteed to preserve Rawalpindi’s control over the levers of power in Kabul. There are several things to be noted about […]
Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XIV)
14. The fall of Panjshir Panjshir has fallen to the Taliban with a bang — and a whimper. The bang is because a 40-year old legend lies shattered, the legend of the invincibility of Panjshir Valley. And the whimper is because the short-lived ‘resistance’ had a tame ending. A BBC […]
Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XII)
12. To recognise, or not to recognise, that’s the question At the weekly briefing in Moscow on Thursday by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia will consider recognising Afghanistan’s new authorities once an inclusive government is formed in the country. To quote Zakharova, “We call for the […]
Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XI)
11. US slips out of Kabul but is vengeful The back-to-back press briefings on August 30 by General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr, commander, US Central Command and Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, on Afghanistan conveys the picture of a superpower badly bruised and embittered but remaining vengeful. This is bad […]
Droning Disasters: A US Strike On Kabul
No more profoundly disturbing statement was needed. In the dying days of the official US departure from Kabul, a US drone etched its butcher’s legacy with a strike supposedly intended for the blood-lusty terrorist group ISIS-K, an abbreviation of Islamic State in Khorasan Province. Its members had taken responsibility for […]
The Taliban’s Takeover Of Afghanistan Was The US’ Greatest Intel Failure Ever
The key takeaway is that the US’ technological superiority was irrelevant during its War on Afghanistan and the human sources that it depended on for intelligence were too unreliable. History will testify that there has never been a greater intelligence failure for the US than the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. […]
Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (X)
10. Taliban has a package deal with US. Coast is clear for new government in Kabul. The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed today in an interview with CBS “Face the Nation” the evolving relationship between Washington and the Afghan Taliban. Three things emerge. First, Sullivan disclosed that “over-the-horizon […]
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