tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50177315066294431702012-02-16T19:37:14.300-08:00An academic blog on the nature of the Afghan Conflict, the nation's current state and unfolding developments throughout the 'War on Terror.' I will be tracking current affairs and international relations reports surrounding the country and the plethora of issues affecting its potential for stability. Entries will be forthcoming 3-4 a week.Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-13474578033713349862010-01-26T05:21:00.000-08:002010-01-26T05:35:50.676-08:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-45040790200812227862009-12-01T10:51:00.000-08:002009-12-02T10:55:02.615-08:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-84968347665887379482009-11-17T09:59:00.000-08:002009-12-03T05:47:51.942-08:00

Transparency International, an international corruption watchdog has released a damning list of 180 nations, ranking each in order of most corrupt to least corrupt. Nations were assigned numerical orderings, based on criteria culled from ‘general impressions’ in business and political communities and incidences of published corruption. The results of the Study, the CPI (Corruptions Perception

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-9248541566969740352009-11-09T02:41:00.000-08:002009-12-02T02:48:34.139-08:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-13132599621218632052009-11-07T07:54:00.000-08:002009-12-05T05:30:19.046-08:00

At about 1:30PM November 5th, a US Army Major, Nidal Malik Hasan walked through the doors of the Soldier Readiness Centre at Fort Hood Texas, drew two pistols and opened fire. The building where the shooting took place was filled with military personnel waiting for routine pre-deployment medical examinations and dental work. The readiness centre at Fort Hood (One of the largest military

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-29926644748928551322009-11-05T01:50:00.000-08:002009-12-03T05:48:53.863-08:00

The United Nations announced that it was evacuating hundreds of its non-essential international personnel from Afghanistan on Thursday, citing a deteriorating security situation as the impetus for this move. 600 of the nations 1100 staff are to be moved. This constitutes a serious development for progress by the international community to stabilize the country, as well as a direct blow to

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-75458879417360023902009-11-02T15:32:00.000-08:002009-12-03T05:49:43.953-08:00

Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, former Foreign Minister for Afghanistan under President Hamid Karzai, and opposition in the upcoming runoff elections announced his withdrawal from the ballot today. The reason he gave for his decision was a fear that repeat-fraud and widespread unrest would transpire, similar to the heavily contested August election which cost UN Envoy Peter Galbraith his position in the

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-76113049098271728732009-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:002009-12-02T00:37:58.182-08:00

Smoke rises across the Kabul skyline from UN Guesthouse where 5 volunteer workers were killed. <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal,

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-40686339126986900512009-10-27T00:18:00.000-07:002009-12-03T05:50:28.589-08:00

A report run in The Seattle Times sheds new light on the numbers of American casualties which have climbed to 814 military personnel. These persons lost their lives in 814 participating directly in Operation: Enduring Freedom, the codename for the US-Led NATO Coalition war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. A curious footnote to the casualty

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-49986023874077178622009-10-25T23:41:00.000-07:002009-12-03T05:51:15.857-08:00

The Pakistani military has been engaged in pitched battle with fundamentalist tribal militias in South Waziristan for just over a week. The military claims that it is making headway, and its recent capture of a militant stronghold resulted in an elated pronouncement from a senior General that the militants were shaving their beards and laying down their arms in an effort to blend back in with a

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-77166735604556759202009-10-22T13:25:00.000-07:002009-10-25T14:21:18.739-07:00

An Afghan man is detained by Canadian Forces personnel.In 1993, news of the ‘Somalia Affair’ broke in the Canadian Media and Canada’s NDHQ (National Defence Headquarters) was immediately inundated by requests for an inquiry and rapidly, allegations of a cover-up. The crisis in question stemmed from evidence that Canadian Airborne soldiers had been involved and were in fact directly responsible

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-82019211168998589292009-10-19T22:26:00.000-07:002009-12-02T01:07:23.274-08:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-5258581614053641372009-10-18T09:20:00.000-07:002009-10-21T09:44:13.252-07:00

The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) charged with monitoring the August 20th Afghan presidential election has failed to announce a definitive result to the vote, stemming from widespread allegations of electoral fraud. (1) Given the very real need to shore up the democratic process in the nation before winter sets in, the citizens of Afghanistan are scheduled to return to the polls on

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-68529475627298158582009-10-14T21:57:00.000-07:002009-12-02T10:57:22.123-08:00

An 11% shortfall in available helicopters and only 20% of a new ‘Mastiff’ Armoured Vehicles being ‘fit’ for service in Afghanistan has left Britain’s MOD with some serious question about its capabilities in supporting the NATO/ISAF mission. Internal public monitors in the United Kingdom have been measuring readiness levels and equipment condition in an attempt to determine whether the ministry

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-72261675924077182162009-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:002009-12-01T23:48:19.094-08:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-85317576343817185402009-10-09T05:17:00.001-07:002009-10-21T08:46:30.123-07:00

Revelations that the recent Afghan presidential election, held on the 20th of August, 2009 were rife with corruption and fraud has shaken both the fledgling Afghan electoral institution and the United Nations to the core. The UN, which was charged with overseeing the elections has had its reputation both within the country and globally as a safeguard against this kind of injustice, thoroughly

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-83345396586228296562009-10-07T20:48:00.000-07:002009-12-02T11:00:02.537-08:00

NATO leaders approached Moscow today, seeking to garner Russian support for the NATO/ISAF war underway in Afghanistan. Russia has intimate tactical and operational experience in Afghanistan, and has repeatedly refused to participate in hostilities (after losing its own brutal and draining 10 year war in the mountainous nation). Moscow says however, that it supports the US-Led initiative to

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-71350927706430139232009-10-04T09:47:00.000-07:002009-10-04T14:14:12.573-07:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-16786728159134086332009-10-02T04:52:00.000-07:002009-10-21T09:54:31.567-07:00

The border region of Waziristan and the Federally Administered Tribal Regions, which lie along the mountainous border of Afghanistan and Pakistan are growing fronts in NATO's war effort. The challenging fight to stabilize the nation of Afghanistan is becoming more and more about the stabilization and extension of human security throughout the entire region. The 'Pashtun Belt' a huge swath of

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-43628967019693658952009-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:002009-12-01T20:30:55.027-08:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-17079509612866736542009-09-28T19:57:00.000-07:002009-12-02T10:58:30.355-08:00

Pakistani military leaders are weighing their options on opening up a large-scale offensive against Taliban militants in the Waziristan region. Waziristan straddles the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and this lawless tribal region is home to the leadership structure and cultural centre of the Taliban militants. While ISAF coalition soldiers battle the Taliban across the border, senior

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-67962212141018328902009-09-26T03:16:00.000-07:002009-09-26T04:43:11.627-07:00

Top US General Stanley McChrystal, the top-ranking general in charge of the Afghanistan war has delivered a report to U.S. President Barack Obama's administraton, requesting more troops to combat the Taliban Insurgency. Some analysts expect the request, submitted yesterday, will be for almost 40,000 more personel. (1) With 68,000 American soldiers in country, that would constitute an increase

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-33308841492926602462009-09-24T06:46:00.000-07:002009-09-24T07:14:25.848-07:00

In the dusty streets of Kandahar, a few men sit smoking their water pipes on doorsteps, watching the world. The sound of car horns and diesel motors fills the air as hundreds of cars, pickup trucks and three-wheeled taxis seem to circle endlessly in the crowded streets. Young men carrying bags, apprentices to tradesmen or religious students, walk to buy their lunches and small children tag

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-59312469764711590312009-09-23T09:11:00.001-07:002009-09-23T10:54:59.940-07:00

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Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-5856471586336826472009-09-17T07:18:00.000-07:002009-09-23T10:41:53.234-07:00

Senior policy makers in the west are beginning to reconsider the method of strategic implementation that has been seen so far in the nation of Afghanistan. They are discussing a so called 'third way' for the nation. This involves internal restructuring and approaching militants with an attitude far more in line with 'reconciliation' than previous aggressive policy. By offering viable

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-64508546937202019672009-09-15T06:57:00.000-07:002009-09-23T10:31:48.611-07:00

An air strike yesterday by an American Special Forces helicopter in the nation of Somalia killed an important Al Qaeda member.(1) The Kenyan born terrorist had been linked previously to embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya which killed or wounded thousands. The attack was on a car that was traveling near the Somalia/Kenya border. The helicopter had been dispatched from an offshore American

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5017731506629443170.post-46130091198414719282009-09-14T06:54:00.001-07:002009-09-23T10:32:43.123-07:00

An escalation of violence in the Nation of Afghanistan this week has left 48 people dead. The series of attacks, counter-attacks and military operations claimed the lives of Taliban militants, civilians and local security forces. 11 Militants were killed in night-time raids in the province of Kunduz. The raids netted amongst other things, bomb making supplies and rocket propelled grenades,

Kevin M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01687825350712482820noreply@blogger.com0