Kambaiz Rafi — Kambaiz Rafi The Conversation, 30 novembre 2021, 14:23 CET In late August 2021, the US completed its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year occupation. The Taliban retook the country with shocking speed. The Islamic fundamentalist political group was founded in 1994 and controlled most of Afghanistan until the…

Kambaiz Rafi — Kambaiz Rafi RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) 14 October 20216 Minute Read Despite heightened expectations, significant Chinese assistance to Afghanistan is unlikely to materialise soon. The Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on 15 August has strengthened speculation regarding a rising Chinese role in Afghanistan to replace the US-led coalition’s two-decade-long presence…

The Conversation, 21 septembre 2021, 18:29 CEST — The Conversation, 21 septembre 2021, 18:29 CEST Afghanistan has been nicknamed the “graveyard of empires” in reference to the failure of colonial attempts to govern it. Yet this often distracts from the sombre fact that anyone — whether insiders or outsiders — who has tried to establish control over the…

It is a mistake to write Afghanistan off as an incorrigibly backward and violent state — It is a mistake to write Afghanistan off as an incorrigibly backward and violent state By Kambaiz Rafi Asia Times, May 3, 2021 Absent a drastic change in the battlefield or an unlikely contingency, the 20-year US-led campaign in Afghanistan has been declared over. The remaining 2,500 US troops will…

The current winner-takes-all presidential system has proven problematic for a multi-ethnic country like Afghanistan. Perhaps parliamentary… — Afghanistan in Need of Systemic Reforms to Avoid Election Stand-Offs The current winner-takes-all presidential system has proven problematic for a multi-ethnic country like Afghanistan. Perhaps parliamentary system is the better alternative. By Kambaiz Rafi (14 March 2020), ACKU

Yet again in this troubled country, the choice may be between worse and worst — Yet again in this troubled country, the choice may be between worse and worst Asia Times, April 29, 2020 By: Kambaiz Rafi It makes for a gripping intellectual exercise to study a country in the throes of a pivotal change that throws it off its familiar path. …

There might be no clear winner after all, but what exactly will that mean for Afghanistan and the region? — There might be no clear winner after all, but what exactly will that mean for Afghanistan and the region? The Diplomat Magazine, March 08, 2020 By Kambaiz Rafi The recent peace road map signed in Doha between the United States and the Taliban is so far the closest the two…

In a land of many ethnic groups, the Pashtuns are ‘more equal’ than the rest — In a land of many ethnic groups, the Pashtuns are ‘more equal’ than the rest Asia Times, January 18, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi I am reminded of my short and sturdy-looking math teacher in a school built by Afghan refugees in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, where I had migrated with my…

With the two frontrunners in the September presidential poll both claiming victory, there is an urgent need to firm up the results — With the two frontrunners in the September presidential poll both claiming victory, there is an urgent need to firm up the results Asia Times, November 14, 2019 By Kambaiz Rafi Tensions surrounding the recent Afghan presidential elections are a despairing reminder that anti-government militancy is not the only — and…