Tag Archives: Afghanistan

How Erdogan Held onto Power, and What This Means for Turkey’s Future

  Recep Tayyib Erdogan will remain president of Turkey for another five years after winning Sunday’s run-off election over his long-time rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. If he serves the full five-year term, he will have held power for 26 years – almost the entire history of Turkey in the 21st century. What is astonishing is how the majority of Turkish people …

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Explainer: A Historical Trail of Pakistan’s Powerful Military Enterprise

akistan’s former military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa declared at the end of his tenure the military would no longer meddle in politics. However, the recent arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan – once seen as the “army’s blue-eyed boy” – and the army’s intention to prosecute civilian protesters under military laws proves the men in uniform are still …

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What Would it Take to Recognize the Taliban?

ince the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, speculation has been rife over whether the group would achieve the global recognition that has long eluded it. Early on, analysts predicted that in a quest for legitimacy, a reformed Taliban, whose rhetoric promised a modern and moderate approach to governance, would honor basic human rights and prevent Afghanistan from again becoming …

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Afghanistan Watchdog: ‘You’re Gonna See Pilferage’ of US Aid to Ukraine

In the past year, Congress has allocated roughly $113 billion in support of Ukraine’s efforts to beat back Russia’s brutal invasion. More or less overnight, Kyiv became far and away the largest single recipient of U.S. military and economic support. In order to track all that spending, government watchdogs have taken some notable steps to expand oversight. The inspectors general …

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Sudan Crisis Explained: What’s Behind the Latest Fighting

Days of violence in Sudan have resulted in the deaths of at least 180 people, with many more left wounded. The fighting represents the latest crisis in the North African nation, which has contended with numerous coups and periods of civil strife since becoming independent in 1956. The Conversation asked Christopher Tounsel, a Sudan specialist and interim director of the …

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Chicago’s New and Extremist Political Machine Takes Over

Brandon Johnson, the Cook County Commissioner very few people had heard of, defeated Paul Vallas in the run-off for Chicago Mayor on April 4, ending the hope that many had to reverse the pro-crime policies that have made Chicago even more dangerous today than it was a decade ago.. Don’t believe that the major issues between the two candidates had …

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What Next for Donald Trump after Being Charged with 34 Felony Counts?

April 4, 2023, will go down in US history as the day when former President Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts, marking a significant turn of events in his post-presidential career. These charges, which include a range of allegations from financial crimes to obstruction of justice, have raised questions about what may be next for Trump. A stone-faced …

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Trump Indictment Won’t Keep Him from Presidential Race

A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former President Donald Trump. The specific state charges, reports The New York Times, “remain a mystery” but will be related to the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation of Trump for making hush money payments to a porn star just before the 2016 presidential election. It’s the first time a U.S. president or former …

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Explaining the Resurgence of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan

s Pakistan reliving the scary specter of 2013? It may be — the last quarter of 2022 set the tone for the ensuing months, with December ending off the year as the deadliest month for Pakistan’s security forces in over a decade. Around 282 military and police personnel were among the 973 total fatalities in 2022. At the center of …

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Confronting Climate Change — and the Taliban — in Afghanistan

his past December, a fleet of colorful swan-shaped boats lined the muddy banks of Qargha Lake, a reservoir on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. The boats’ owner, 50-year-old Shah Maqsoud Habibi, said his business has vanished, along with much of the lake, a once popular weekend destination for war weary Afghans. Over the past few years, a series of droughts …

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