Video - "Modernising the Afghan Passport Office"

NATO TV has released (October 20, 2014) a video about the effort to modernize the Afghan Passport Office. The video depicts how Afghan citizens can now apply for e-passports, which provides biometric data that can be used to identify the passport holder and screen (and vet) people applying for passports. The new system has made it harder for criminals and insurgents to travel and reduce corruption (I don't believe that for a minute). In addition it has reduced the challenges that Afghan citizens face during their international travel. The video "Modernising the Afghan Passport Office" is about three minutes long and available at the following link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsL0gBqa8Oo

Reconciliation with the Taliban?

A columnist assesses the Afghan Unity Government (NUG) and thinks that Afghanistan may be ready for a serious effort to reconcile with the Taliban. He explores the many different aspects that need to be considered for negotiations with the Taliban. Most likely the biggest issue to face is Pakistan's support of the Taliban; presumably Pakistan uses the Taliban as leverage to influence Afghanistan ". . . over bilateral issues like India's presence in Afghanistan, Kabul's longstanding refusal to recognize the border, and the apparent use of Afghan territory as sanctuary by some Pakistani Taliban".The author, Barnett R. Rubin, was senior advisor to the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Department of State during 2009 to 2013. Read his article in "  Is the Afghan Unity Government a Roadmap for Negotiations with the Taliban?", The South Asia Channel, Foreign Policy, October 20, 2014.

Afghan Diplomat Training

A group of 15 young Afghan diplomats are receiving training by the U.S. and China on diplomatic, communication, and management skills. The text of a State Department "media note" posted on October 20, 2014 is provided below:

"A group of 15 young Afghan diplomats kicked off their training visit to the United States at a welcome reception hosted at the State Department this morning by Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Daniel F. Feldman. The Special Representative was joined at the reception by Chinese Embassy Minister Wu Xi and Afghan Charge d’Affaires Mirwais Samadi.
This is the third year the United States and China have partnered to train the Afghan diplomatic corps on diplomatic, communications, and management skills. This year’s group includes fifteen early-career Afghan diplomats, who were selected jointly by representatives from the U.S. and Chinese Embassies in Kabul. In May, the participants participated in a two-week training program in Beijing sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While in Washington, the group will learn more about U.S. policies regarding both Afghanistan and China, as well as the process of formulating and implementing foreign policy in the United States.
During their two-week stay, the group will visit the Chinese and Afghan Embassies, tour Washington, D.C., meet with diplomats and scholars from various think tanks, practice diplomatic simulations at the University of Maryland, and visit the United Nations and Afghan consulate in New York City."

Ex-US Navy Pilot - Drones are Better

Some former fighter jocks are outspoken in their support of drones. See "Ex-US Navy fighter pilot MIT prof: Drones beat humans - I should know", The A Register (UK), October 20, 2014.

Girl's Education Backslides in Afghanistan

With the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan comes the diminished amounts of foreign aid. The cuts to funding are happening across the board but one sector - education is getting hit hard. Many of the women activists that championed the cause of Afghan women and girl's education are warning that the recent gains over the past decade are being eroded - primarily because of funding cuts. Perhaps if the Afghans had been a little less corrupt the nations that forked over the billions of dollars in aid would not be suffering from donor fatigue. (But that's just me thinking out loud). Read more in "The West Made Lots of Promises to Afghan Girls, Now It's Breaking Them", The Daily Beast, October 20, 2014.

More News Snippets

More news snippets include: some members of Afghanistan's upper house (Meshrano Jirga) are demanding that election commission officials be tried for election fraud and some suspects in the Kabul Bank case have jumped bail and are now out of the country.

Morning News and Coffee

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Book - "Rule of Law in Afghanistan"

An important new resource is now available for those who are conducting the Security Force Assistance (SFA) mission in Afghanistan. The Rule of Law in Afghanistan is a primer for practitioners. The author, Kristine Ziems of Touchpoint International Development Group, is an attorney and consultant specializing in legal development in emerging democracies. She wrote the primer in conjunction with (funding was provided) the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs' Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The primer is designed to provide a practical introduction to the rule of law development in Afghanistan. The topics covered by the Primer, as outlined below, range from the structure of the Afghan Government and the criminal justice system - including Shari'a law and traditional dispute mechanisms in Afghanistan, to efforts to combat corruption, counter narcotics, and develop the Afghan National Police. The Primer is a valuable tool for practitioners working in Afghanistan as well as policy and decision makers. The Primer outlines current issues, providing a historical context, but also with our international partners. The report is dated February 2014. It is available on at the below link:
https://sites.google.com/site/touchpointidg/training-and-educational-services/afghanistan

SIGAR - Poppy Cultivation Rises in Afghanistan

A report issued in October 2104 states that after a decade of reconstruction and over $7 billion in counter narcotics efforts, poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan are at an all-time high. Afghan farmers grew an unprecedented 209,000 hectares of opium poppy in 2013, surpassing the previous peak of 193,000 hectares in 2007. Further increases in poppy cultivation is expected in 2014. The value of opium and its derivative products produced in Afghanistan rose from 2012 to 2013 by 50 per cent; and increase from $2 billion to $3 billion. Nangarhar province, once designated "poppy free" in 2008 saw an increase in poppy cultivation between 2012 and 2013. The former governor of Nangarhar, Gul Agha Sherzai, was not known for his anti-drug stance; in fact, he is well-known as a supporter and beneficiary of the drug trade. ISAF chose to ignore the criminal patronage network in the Nangarhar region as Sherzai was a political appointee of Hamid Karzai. See "Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan, 2012 and 2013", Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Report SIGAR-15-10-SP, October 2014.

Film - "The Spaceman of Afghanistan"

BBC has produced a film called "The Spaceman of Afghanistan". Ahad Momand, Afghanistan's one and only astronaut, went into space in 1988 where he spent a week on the Russian space station Mir. Momand fled Afghanistan's civil war and went to Germany to live. A little piece of unknown Afghan history is presented in this 60 minute documentary. It is available on the BBC website at this link; however, you can only view it on BBC's site if you are in the UK. It has been uploaded to YouTube at this link.

Role of Neighbors in Rebuilding Afghanistan

A recent posting by Ajay Anil Cherian posted on International Policy Digest (October 12, 2014) entitled "Rebuilding Afghanistan: The Role of Its Neighbors" provides concrete reasons why the three countries of India, China, and Pakistan should provide substantial assistance to developing and reconstructing Afghanistan.

ISAF to Shut Down Anti-Corruption Task Force

The Pentagon will be shutting down a critical task force that has the responsibility to combat corruption in Afghanistan. The Combined Inter-Agency Task Force - Afghanistan (CIATF-A) was established in 2010 to ensure that U.S. money was going to the intended purpose - and not to Karzai's bank account in Dubai or into the coffers of the Taliban as a result of protection schemes. Many observers feel that the biggest problem in Afghanistan is not the Taliban but corruption at every level of Afghan society. Read more in "Afghanistan anti-corruption task force shuttered amid U.S. troop drawdown", The Washington Times, October 20, 2014.

Analysis of the Post-Election Afghan Govt

There are many perspectives on the future of Afghanistan and the challenges that the new government faces. One such perspective is given to us by Dr. Alexander Knyazev, a prominent Russian Orientalist, member of the Russian Geographic Society, and a professor at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. In his article "Afghanistan: A Dangerous Projection of Presidential Inauguration", Centre for Research on Globalization, October 20, 2014 he worries that the ethnic divisions within Afghanistan may soon surface, the current power arrangement between Ghani and Abdullah may fail, and points to weaknesses in the Ghani presidency.

SFAAT 200 Visits ABP Post On Iran Border

Security Force Assistance Advisor Team (SFAAT) 200 advises and assists the 705th Afghan Border Police (ABP) Zone Hqs with responsibility of the security of the Afghan-Iranian border. Recently SFAAT 200 went on a Staff Assistance Visit (SAV) and inspection that the ABP commander and his staff was conducting of a subordinate unit located at Islam Qala - an ABP post on the Iranian border. View a short video (2 mins) about the trip in "SFAAT 200 Meets with Afghan Leaders", DVIDS, October 20, 2014. (Photo from video).

Book - "Kidnapped by the Taliban"

The book "Kidnapped by the Taliban" is the story of an American aid doctor who was held captive by the Taliban in 2012. Doctor Dilip Joseph is a medical director for Morning Star Development in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was kidnapped, along with two Afghan colleagues, while visiting one of their medical clinics. He was rescued by Navy SEALs; but unfortunately one of the SEALs died during the rescue. Read an interview of Dr. Joseph in "Colorado Doctor Recounts Kidnap, Rescue in Afghanistan", CBS Denver, October 14, 2014.

Women and Afghanistan: Does Islamophobia Exist in the U.S.?

A article by Sara Erkal posted in the Brown Political Review suggests that Americans have a case of "islamophobia" when it comes to their perceptions of women in Afghanistan. I am not sure she has made her case sufficiently; but it was an interesting read. "Femme Fatales of Afghanistan and US Ignorance" (October 19, 2014).

Morning Coffee and Afghan War News

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Report - "Improving Strategic Competence"

RAND Corporation has released a new report entitled Improving Strategic Competence: Lessons from 13 Years of War. The report was released in October 2014 and has several well-known authors - Linda Robinson, Paul D. Miller, John Gordon IV, Jeffrey Decker, Michael Schwille, and Raphael S. Cohen. There are 170 pages in the document (Adobe Acrobat PDF). The report ". . . addresses a particular disconnect in the current debate on the future of national security strategy and the role of land-power caused by an inadequate examination of the national level of strategy made by the U.S. government".

The report has identified two trends from World War II to the Present -

1) "Land warfare has evolved from conventional combat against state actors and their standing forces to an increasing incidence of irregular warfare fought by joint forces against non-state actors. This has led to an increasing U.S. reliance on special operations forces".
2) "While the Army learns tactical and operational lessons from the wars it fights, it sometimes struggles to recognize the broader implications of its experience and adapt at a strategic level".

The report goes on to list "Seven Lessons from the Past 13 Years of War" and provides seven "Recommendations". You can read more about the report here and download it if interested.
www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR816.html

173rd Helps Train Italians for Resolute Support

The 173rd Airborne Brigade (stationed in Italy) are assisting elements from the Italian Army for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan (Resolute Support) where they will conduct a Security Force Assistance mission. The 173rd was recently deployed to Wardak and Logar provinces in Afghanistan and has recent combat experience. Classes were held in the Aosta Valley, Italy - home of the Italian Army's mountain warfare training center and school. The training consisted of military-to-military advising, counterinsurgency, and MDMP. The Italians will be advising the Afghan National Army (ANA). Read more in "US assists Italian hosts prior to Afghanistan deployment", DVIDS, October 16, 2014.

Wounded AP Reporter to Return to Afghanistan

On the day before the Afghanistan election in April 2014 two female correspondents were shot by an Afghan policeman in Khost province. The two women (working for the Associated Press) were in  a convoy under the protection of the Afghan security forces. While in a well-guarded compound they were shot and Anja Niedringhaus (AP photographer) died of her wounds. Kathy Gannon suffered six bullet wounds and is still recovering. But she vows to return to her job in Afghanistan. Read more in "Wounded AP reporter vows to return to Afghanistan", The Sacramento Bee, October 16, 2014.