NATO member states are meeting this week in Wales at what could prove a milestone summit. Since the 2012 Chicago meeting, the security landscape has changed dramatically and important questions about NATO’s…
The recent discovery of 35 men, women and children in a shipping container at Tilbury docks in Essex is shocking for many reasons. Few had known that people were being brought into the UK in shipping containers…
Concerns about security of US-trained Afghan military.
EPA/Jalil Rezayee
The US major-general killed in an insider attack at a military academy near Kabul is the highest-ranked US casualty since 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another 15 officers were wounded, including…
Preliminary election results released on July 7 put Ashraf Ghani as winner of the Afghan presidential poll.
Jawad Jalali/EPA
Ashraf Ghani, the former Afghan finance minister, is leading the race to replace Hamid Karzai as president of Afghanistan, according to the preliminary results announced on July 7 by the Independent Election…
Ben Quilty, Captain S, after Afghanistan, 2012, oil on linen, 140 x 190cm.
War art, like war, changes with time – but not as much as we might like to believe. So what is its function, and how has it evolved over time? Two current exhibitions – the travelling show Ben Quilty…
Bowe Bergdahl was released in a prisoner exchange on 31 May.
Intelcenter Handout/EPA
When US soldier Bowe Bergdahl was released after being held captive by the Afghan Taliban for five years, his father said his son was “having trouble speaking English”. Many will find this statement incredible…
Drone strikes may be slowing in Pakistan, but the damage has already been done.
EPA/Nadeem Khawer
The US’s program of drone strikes in Pakistan has, according to recent reports, slowed down considerably. But while this will encourage various observers, and while the Obama administration earned some…
Doing deals: Zalmai Rassoul and Gul Agha Sherzai will support front-runner Abdullah Abdullah in the run-off.
EPA/S Sabawoon
The date for the second round of the Afghan Presidential elections has just been announced – June 14. It will be a run off between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzi. It can’t come soon enough…
Narendra Modi in campaign mode.
EPA/Piyal Adhikary
The Indian election has been afforded much publicity in the Western media. A record 814 million eligible voters have been expressing their choices in a poll taking place in nine phases. Voting began on…
Afghanistan’s Hazara minority has a huge stake in the future of democracy.
EPA/Jawad Jalali
Given that no census has been conducted in Afghanistan since 1979, it’s unclear whether the Hazara ethnic minority constitute 9% or near 20% of the country’s population. What is clear, however, is that…
Impressive turnout: under heavy security, 7m Afghans turned out to vote.
Liza Schuster
An estimated 7m Afghans went to the polls yesterday to choose a new president. This was 2.5m more than the last poll and represents about 60% of the electorate. This result was achieved despite Taliban…
Professor turned politician: Ashraf Ghani.
EPA/S. Sabawoon
Friendship is rare and to call a person “friend” is a serious matter. It’s not complicated – it implies really looking forward to the next conversation with that person. It implies sharing ideas, hopes…
Could Afghanistan’s cricketers become unlikely ambassadors for their country and bring relief to it in its current state of volatility?
Afghanistan Cricket Board
Sport has emerged as an unlikely hero for one nation that continues to deal with violent internal conflicts. Afghanistan beat Australia at last month’s under-19 Cricket World Cup in Abu Dhabi, while the…
We crossed the courtyard and followed 16-year-old Amin around the back of the house. We removed our shoes, walked down the dark hallway and turned into the small dark room. The two youngest children sat…
There are many stories of Australia’s combat involvement that have not yet but should be told.
AAP
Recently, legitimate concerns about the media coverage of Australia’s military involvement in the war in Afghanistan have been raised. It is true that much more that can and should be said about the army’s…
Where does the ADF’s deep-seated resentment of the media come from, and how did it manifest in Afghanistan?
AAP/Department of Defence
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has long been wary of the media’s power to derail its promotional narratives and damage careers in the process. But there was nothing irrational about its members’ determination…
The gains made over the past 13 years may be squandered if the troop withdrawal also marks an end to any serious engagement with the country.
United Nations Photo
Afghanistan has a special place in the history of international relations, having tested and endorsed many international power equations over the years. But given the imminent troop withdrawal, serious…
Desperate conditions: Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP
Six young men arrived at Kabul Airport on Tuesday, following deportation from Norway. Norway deports about this number of rejected asylum seekers every week, but it is not alone – Belgium, Germany and…
Malala Yousafzai on her way to attend her first day at school after she was shot by the Taliban last year.
EPA
One Pakistani teenage girl is back where she belongs: in school. But Malala Yousafzai, who was shot last year for campaigning for female education by the Taliban, is not your average school girl. Already…
Under President Karzai women now can study, hold office and choose not to wear the burqua.
Flickr/World Bank Photo Collection
As the withdrawal of foreign troops nears, with a full withdrawal expected by the end of 2014, Afghanistan has re-emerged as a major issue in Australian politics. Those worried about Australian casualties…