Articles | Vivekananda International Foundation

Afghanistan

Afghan Talks - Talking Peace without the People?

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, tweeted at the end of six-day long peace talks with Taliban in Qatar that discussions have made “significant progress”. According to the media reports, the two sides ....

February 04, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Commentary , US-Taliban talks , Afghan peace process

Revival of Peace Initiatives in Afghanistan: Implications for India

Introduction

Seventeen years have passed since the American forces entered Afghanistan in October 2001 and ousted the Taliban. The massive crackdown forced the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban leaders to melt into Pakistan, where they replenished....

January 31, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , US , Taliban , al-Qaeda , Peace Initiatives in Afghanistan , Afghan National Army

The Great Game Revisited*

Tilak Devasher, Consultant, VIF Article

The continuing turmoil in Afghanistan and the entry of several players in Central Asia, in what has been called the New Great Game, is likely to get further complicated. This is due to the reported move of the US to pullout half their troops from Afg....

December 26, 2018 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , The Great Game , Afghanistans vulnerability

Moscow Regional Consultations on Afghanistan: Can India Play a Role?

Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF Article

On 9 November 2018, Moscow organised regional consultations on Afghanistan which were attended by the Taliban’s Qatar office and the representatives of the Afghan High Peace Council. This was the first time that the Taliban and the representatives ....

November 10, 2018 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , Taliban-Afghan meeting , Russia’s Afghanistan initiative

Wolesi Jirga Elections - Triumph of Afghan Democracy

Prateek Joshi Commentary

After being delayed by more than three years, elections for the Afghan National Assembly (Wolesi Jirga) were finally held on 20^th October amidst growing threats from the Taliban. The international media had already communicated its prejudi....

October 26, 2018 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Commentary , Afghan elections , Afghan electorate victory

Brainstorming Session on Afghanistan

Security situation in Afghanistan faces greater challenges. Besides the Taliban, the rise of ISIS opens up another front for the embattled Afghan state. At a time when the Afghan national election draws closer, security challenges necessitate greater....

September 21, 2018 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Conferences , ISIS , Taliban , Afghan state , Security situation in Afghanistan

Indian Engagement with Afghanistan: An Economic Perspective

… Indian assistance in Afghanistan is focused on, ‘Afghan led, Afghan owned and controlled,’ projects … India’s Small Development Projects are spread all over the country … economic development is the basic foundation for peace in Afghani....

August 31, 2018 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Afghanistan politics , Taliban insurgency , India-Afghan relations

Current Military Situation in Afghanistan

Maj Gen (Retd.) P K Chakravorty

... insurgency in Afghanistan is a political problem; the military can create the right conditions for diplomatic talks to begin ... currently, Taliban is in no mood to negotiate ... Taliban who are ready to come around must be granted favourable opt....

June 12, 2018 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Situation in Afghanistan , US strategy for Afghanistan

Round Table Discussion on Afghanistan

A Round Table Discussion (RTD) on Afghanistan’s current situation and the way forward was held at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 15 Nov 2017. The panel of discussants included a broad array of security and foreign policy experts,....

March 23, 2018 Conference , Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Conferences , Islamic State , ISIS , India-Afghanistan relations

Afghanistan- Pakistan Transit Trade

Shoiab A. Rahim

Abstract The transit trade problems of Afghanistan are typical to any other landlocked country. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan has relied on Pakistan for its international trade. However, the transit trade of Afghanistan has....

October 26, 2017 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Afghanistan’s Trade , Transit Overview , Land- locked States , ATTA , Trade Barriers