International

Rapid Taliban Takeover Shows How Little US Understood Afghanistan

by Joe Lauria*

(23 August 2021) Though the Taliban may be unpopular with many Afghans at least they are Afghans and not a propped-up government under foreign occupation.

A German Viewpoint

Medical peace organisation calls for critical debate on military operations

Advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan

Press release of IPPNW-Germany of 13 August 2021

(23 August 2021) The current developments in Afghanistan with the advance of the Taliban once again highlight the failure of the military mission. The medical peace organisation IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) points out the enormous humanitarian consequences for the people in Afghanistan.

An Italian Viewpoint

The US Plan for a New Catastrophe

by Manlio Dinucci*

(23 August 2021) General Scott Miller, US and allied forces commander in Afghanistan, announced on April 25 the beginning of foreign troops withdrawal that should be completed by September 11, according to President Biden’s decision. Is the US ending the war waged for almost twenty years? In order to understand this communication, it is first of all necessary to consider the results of the war.

An Afghan Viewpoint

Taliban entered into Kabul

by Zamir Awan*

(23 August 2021) Life is very much normal, internet service, mobile service is functioning in a routine. Shops are opened, traffic is in normal routine, schools are opened, everything seems very much normal. The government is functioning, bureaucracy is functioning, police is functioning, just ex-president Ashraf Ghani is not in Afghanistan.

What’s The SCO’s Game Plan For Afghanistan?

by Andrew KORYBKO*

(23 August 2021) The «Shanghai Cooperation Organisation» (SCO) would do well to coordinate its members’ efforts to contain Afghan-emanating regional terrorist threats such as “Islamic State Khorasan” (ISIS-K), encourage a political compromise between Kabul and the Taliban, and devise a plan for developing the war-torn country’s connectivity potential so as to ensure its long-term stability.

What Is Wrong With The “Humanitarian Crossing” Into Syria?

by Rick Sterling*

(10 August 2021) On Friday July 9 the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to a one year extension of the Bab al Hawa crossing. As part of the agreement,1 the UN Secretary General needs to report regularly on what is happening with the aid going into the Al Qaeda dominated zone. Evidently Russia and China thought the time was not right to insist on principle. The problems outlined in this article remain true.