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Afghanistan
Afghanistan: As War Escalates, Questions About ‘Peace’ Persist
RUSI Newsbrief, 3 August 2020
James M Page
The Trump administration appears keen to further reduce troop levels in Afghanistan, and for the Afghan government and Taliban to start formal negotiations. However, key security threats to the US and its allies in Afghanistan remain unresolved and a sustainable peace at this juncture is highly unlikely.
Tags: United States, Afghanistan
The Far-Right and Coronavirus: Extreme Voices Amplified by the Global Crisis
Commentary, 30 April 2020
Claudia Wallner and Jessica White
Extremist groups across the ideological spectrum are capitalising on the uncertainty created by the pandemic.
Tags: International Security Studies, Terrorism and Conflict, UK Counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, Tackling Extremism, Germany, UK, Domestic Security, Law and Ethics, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Europe
Death of Qassem Soleimani: What to Expect in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Commentary, 24 January 2020
Umer Karim
Soleimani’s successor is an Iranian officer with experience in fomenting trouble in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is an ominous sign for both countries.
Tags: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, National Security
An Outline for UK–China Cooperation on Afghanistan
Conference Reports, 18 December 2019
Veerle Nouwens and Raffaello Pantucci
A report of the UK–China conference on cooperation on Afghanistan.
Tags: China, International Security Studies, Afghanistan, UK
What About the Afghan State? US Interests Reach Beyond Counterterrorism
RUSI Newsbrief, 4 October 2019
James M Page
The cancellation of the US peace agreement with the Taliban not only reasserts the importance of elections in Afghanistan, but also wider US interests in the Afghan state.
Tags: Afghanistan
"Umer Karim, visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a UK-based security think tank, told VICE News that in carrying out the attacks while calling for the resumption of talks, the Taliban was acting according to a familiar logic.“They’re saying we’re happy to resume talks — but they’re also sending a signal that when they are sitting around the table, they’ll be there in a position of strength.” "
Hours After Killing 48 People in Bombings, the Taliban Says It Wants to Restart Peace Talks
In The News, 18 September 2019 Tags: AfghanistanPages
The Far-Right and Coronavirus: Extreme Voices Amplified by the Global Crisis
Commentary, 30 April 2020Claudia Wallner and Jessica White
Extremist groups across the ideological spectrum are capitalising on the uncertainty created by the pandemic.
International Security Studies, Terrorism and Conflict, UK Counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, Tackling Extremism, Germany, UK, Domestic Security, Law and Ethics, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Europe
Death of Qassem Soleimani: What to Expect in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Commentary, 24 January 2020Umer Karim
Soleimani’s successor is an Iranian officer with experience in fomenting trouble in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That is an ominous sign for both countries.
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, National Security
For Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan, We Need at Least a Modest Bargain with India
Commentary, 23 July 2018Whit Mason
A ‘grand bargain’, first proposed by the American diplomat Richard Holbrooke, is needed now more than ever to allay Islamabad’s concerns with India’s presence in Afghanistan, although garnering the necessary public support for peace will be no simple task.
International Security Studies, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tackling Extremism, India, The Pakistan Nexus, The War on Terror, Indo-Pakistan Conflict, Global Security Issues
‘Tell the World Community Where the Terrorists Are’: Afghanistan and India Draw Closer Together in Tackling Pakistan
Commentary, 20 September 2016Shashank Joshi
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is turning to India for help after giving up hopes for Pakistan’s cooperation in containing the insurgency inside his country. India is reciprocating, but there are limits to what New Delhi can do.
International Security Studies, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, The Pakistan Nexus, Indo-Pakistan Conflict, Terrorism
The Taliban upholds the status quo with their choice of Emir
Commentary, 27 May 2016Four days after Mullah Mansour was killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province, the Taliban have named their new Emir as Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada. The swift appointment of Haibatullah, a religious scholar who was one of Mansour’s two deputies, reflects the Taliban’s recognition of the need to protect the movement from further fragmentation. Although a conservative choice,...
Pakistan, Terrorism, Afghanistan, TerrorismPages
Terror in Kabul
Multimedia, 30 January 2018Aaditya Dave, Research Analyst at RUSI, talks terror in Afghanistan in the wake of the recent attacks.
Tags: International Security Studies, Afghanistan, Terrorism, Central and South Asia
President Trump's New Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia
Multimedia, 22 August 2017RUSI Senior Research Fellow Emily Winterbotham examines the new US strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia announced by President Trump on 21 August 2017.
Tags: International Security Studies, Land Operations, Pakistan, Terrorism, US Defence Policy, Afghanistan, Global Security Issues, Central and South Asia
2016 Year Ahead: Security Challenges in Afghanistan
Multimedia, 18 December 2015 Tags: International Security Studies, Afghanistan, Global Security Issues
Afghanistan: As War Escalates, Questions About ‘Peace’ Persist
RUSI Newsbrief, 3 August 2020James M Page
The Trump administration appears keen to further reduce troop levels in Afghanistan, and for the Afghan government and Taliban to start formal negotiations. However, key security threats to the US...
United States, Afghanistan, RUSI Newsbrief
An Outline for UK–China Cooperation on Afghanistan
Conference Reports, 18 December 2019Veerle Nouwens and Raffaello Pantucci
A report of the UK–China conference on cooperation on Afghanistan.
China, International Security Studies, Afghanistan, Conference Reports, UK
What About the Afghan State? US Interests Reach Beyond Counterterrorism
RUSI Newsbrief, 4 October 2019James M Page
The cancellation of the US peace agreement with the Taliban not only reasserts the importance of elections in Afghanistan, but also wider US interests in the Afghan state.
Afghanistan, RUSI Newsbrief
The Bajwa Fence: The Pakistani Military Seals the Afghan Border
RUSI Newsbrief, 8 March 2019Kamal Alam
Will the construction of a 1200km fence along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border spark new confidence in Pakistan’s commitment to combatting cross-border terrorism?
Pakistan, Afghanistan, RUSI Newsbrief, Counterinsurgency, Global Security Issues
Book Review: Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014
RUSI Journal, 26 July 2018Edward Burke
Edward Burke reviews Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014, by Theo Farrell
RUSI Journal, Afghanistan, The decade after 9/11, UK, TerrorismPages
Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001-2014
Events, 11 September 2017RUSI hosted a panel to discuss Prof Theo Farrell’s new book ‘Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001-2014’.
Military Sciences, Afghanistan, UK, UK Defence
RUSI Briefing Paper Launch: Ready for Peace? The Afghan Taliban After a Decade of War
Events, 30 January 2017Professor Theo Farrell and Michael Semple will present the findings of their groundbreaking RUSI briefing paper on the state of the Taliban leadership.
Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency
The Army of Afghanistan: A Political History of a Fragile Institution
Events, 7 April 2016RUSI is pleased to host the launch of Dr Antonio Giustozzi's latest book on the political history of the Afghan army, the first full-length expose on this vitally important institution.
International Security Studies, Afghanistan, Defence Policy
Anti-Corruption Workshops- The Nexus between Corruption and Security: Afghanistan as a case study
Events, 15 February 2016Ahead of the international Anti-Corruption Summit in London this May, the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, RUSI and KPMG will hold four Anti-Corruption workshops.
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Afghanistan, AML/CTF
Gallipoli Memorial Lecture - Afghanistan and Iraq: Understanding and Incorporating Lessons
Events, 4 June 2014Admiral Michael Mullen USN (Ret’d), former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, highlighted some of the initial difficult lessons from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Aerospace, Afghanistan, Iraq, Land Forces, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North Africa
"Umer Karim, visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a UK-based security think tank, told VICE News that in carrying out the attacks while calling for the resumption of talks, the Taliban was acting according to a familiar logic.“They’re saying we’re happy to resume talks — but they’re also sending a signal that when they are sitting around the table, they’ll be there in a position of strength.”"
Hours After Killing 48 People in Bombings, the Taliban Says It Wants to Restart Peace Talks
In The News, 18 September 2019 Tags: Afghanistan
""Before the center of attention was Afghan troops and Afghan military personnel, but now we may see U.S. troops under the Taliban radar as well," said Umer Karim, a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. "
After Trump kills Taliban deal, Afghanistan faces more violence, longer odds for peace, experts say
In The News, 9 September 2019 Tags: United States, Afghanistan
"“It really depends on how much can you trust the Taliban when they make these commitments,” said Aaditya Dave, a research analyst at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. "
Trump says taliban peace talks are “proceeding well.” Experts say latest deal is a surrender.
In The News, 30 January 2019 Tags: Afghanistan, Central and South Asia
""It is a blow to Kandahar because their whole security establishment, the top leadership, has been wiped out," Dave said."
Afghans head to the polls facing renewed security threat 17 years after U.S. invasion
In The News, 20 October 2018 Tags: Afghanistan, Central and South Asia
""It does clearly demonstrate that the Taliban, even though they have been some tentative steps towards talking about a peace process and obviously the meeting between the Taliban and the US and Qatar.....is not ready to relinquish on the ground military presence at the moment," Royal United Services Institute Senior Research Fellow, Emily Winterbottom, told euronews."
Gunman attack government training centre in Kabul
In The News, 16 August 2018 Tags: International Security Studies, Afghanistan, Global Security Issues, Terrorism
Libya: Prospects for Peace
Episode One: Kleptocracy and the US Elections
Episode Two: What’s in Store for Sanctions?