Central Asia

Assad and Putin

Towards Peace In Syria And Lebanon

The agreements reached between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin following the Western military defeat in Syria are beginning to be implemented in the Middle East. The next steps should be the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and Syria, the expulsion of Turkish forces from northwestern Syria, the return of Iran to the concert of nations, the return of the Golan Heights and finally the Russian-Syrian administration of Lebanon.

US soldiers and opium

Afghanistan: Where’s The Cash?

Afghanistan’s US-run government was the world’s largest producer and exporter of opium, morphine, and the end-product, heroin. As it did after first seizing power in the mid-1990’s, Taliban, the Islamic anti-drug and anti-communist movement, is shutting down the Afghan drug trade. Billions worth of heroin, opium and morphine that had […]

Javad Zarif with Taliban

Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XX)

20. Iran takes good look at Taliban rulers Some strongly worded statements from Iran deploring the clashes in Panjshir Valley created a perception that Tehran might be distancing itself from the Taliban government. Of course, Tehran is vociferously urging the formation of an ‘inclusive government’ in Kabul. On the other […]

Family photo of the 20th summit SCO

Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XIX)

19. SCO won’t be subaltern to QUAD As expected, the situation in Afghanistan was the focal point of the discussions at the 20th summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe on Friday. Yet, the SCO’s Dushanbe Declaration is scanty on the topic. The 8300-word document devoted hardly […]

Pentagon drone strike

Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XVIII)

18. India’s ‘over-the-horizon’ dilemma In England, they’d plan a park, build it but wouldn’t complete it until they could observe  for a while the foot tracks of walkers, before deciding where to lay the pathways for optimal utility. The Blinken Administration and Modi Govt apparently think they don’t have that […]

Silk road

Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XVII)

17. Foreign Devils on the Silk Road The title of an unputdownable 1980 classic by Peter Hopkirk comes to mind even as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation are preparing to hold back-to-back summit meetings at Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on September 17. Foreign Devils on the Silk […]

Crowds of people show their documents to U.S. troops outside the airport in Kabul

Humanitarian Assistance To Afghanistan

War-torn Afghanistan is facing severe challenges. The abrupt evacuation of the US troops, and instant surrender of the Afghan National Army, have not given time for the Taliban to plan for governance. The irony is that while leaving Afghanistan, the US has frozen all assets and damaged the infrastructure of […]

Afghan tribal leaders

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 […]

US-ANNIVERSARY-9/11

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 […]