Stories about Afghanistan from January, 2009
Afghanistan: Bagram Prison and Obama’s Gitmo Policy Change
Patrick Frost reflects on how President Obama's political stand towards Guantanamo prison would change the administration's position regarding Bagram Air Base prison in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Human Rights Watch and The Azizabad Massacre
Colla reports that Human Rights Watch has sent a letter to outgoing US Secretary of Defense Robert M Gates to remind of the US night air attack on Azizabad, Afghanistan, that took place on 21-22 August last year and resulted in tens of dead civilians, while the US authroties were...
Afghanistan: Obama Honors Warlord, Snubs Karzai
Joshua Foust reflects on the fact that US President Obama selected four Afghan politicians to participate in his inaugural ceremony, among whom there was no incumbent president of Aghanistan Karzai.
Afghanistan: Election Holdups and Insurgency Holddowns
Patrick Frost analyzes the outcomes of US Assistant Secretary Boucher's visit to Kabul and what it means for the Taliban’s resurgence and governance in Afghanistan, including the issue of possible delaying of this years Presidential election.
Afghanistan: Quibbling Over Terms
Joshua Foust reports that Afghanistan's foreign minister Spanta didn’t like that Hillary Clinton called his country a “narco-state” during her Congressional testimony.
Afghanistan: First Female Mayor
Azar Balkhi writes that Ms. Ozrah Jafari has become a Mayor of the Daikondi province. She is the first woman occupying such a high-ranking position in the entire history of Afghanistan.
From Kivu to Gaza: How the Media Choose the Conflicts They Cover
The debate on why the war in east Congo receives such little media attention compared to conflicts in the Middle East continues. A Rue89 journalist asks, "If an Israeli death is worth the death of several Palestinians, how many dead Congolese bodies for a Gazan funeral shroud?" Bloggers on both sides deplore the question.
Afghanistan: A Curious Case of Murder
Joshua Foust reports that a Canadian soldier in one of the ISAF embedded training teams in Helmand, is under arrest in Afghanistan for murder.
