So it seems Afghanistan may have the basis for ongoing political leadership after six months of uncertainty. Those months of bickering and stalling, threats and flip-flops had many dire ramifications, the greatest of which are likely yet to be witnessed. Continue reading
When I think of the word rollback I always think of those old Wal-Mart adds that featured a western themed yellow ball slashing prices. Those ads were incessantly annoying, but my dislike for them hardly compares to my vehement opposition to the rollbacks threatening women’s rights in Afghanistan.
On February 17th President Karzai sent draft legislation of Article 26 of the criminal procedure code that would seriously hamper progress on women’s rights in Afghanistan back to the Ministry of Justice for revision. Continue reading
It it a question that is asked in developing nations worldwide. In some nations, mineral and hydrocarbon reserves have proven to be of enormous benefit to local, regional and even national populations. In many though, the presence of such resources has proven to be a curse that exacerbates conflict. Afghanistan has immense reserves of copper, iron, gold, hydrocarbons and rare earth metals. The nation currently lacks the proper infrastructure and regulatory capacity to extract, process and ship these valuable assets. Continue reading
Taverna du Liban represented the new Afghanistan. It was a place where foreigners relaxed and the newly free and wealthy class of Afghans spent their evenings. The owner was, by all accounts, a fantastic fellow who treated every patron like a dear friend. Chocolate cake of his own creation was often given out with compliments at the end of meals. No wonder the place was always packed on Friday nights. No wonder it was targeted by the Taliban.
