The Death of the Buddhas of Bamiyan
Originally posted December 2009
The 2001 destruction of the two giant Buddhas in Bamiyan is, by far, the most spectacular attack against the historical and cultural heritage of Afghanistan committed during the country’s recent period of turmoil.
Causes and Consequences of the Destabilization of Afghanistan
Originally posted December 2009
The Intellectual Impact of Colonialism and the Urgency of Decolonizing Knowledge of Afghanistan
Originally posted December 2009
Post-Buffer Afghanistan: A Nation-State Here to Stay?
Originally posted December 2009
Nation-states, like their citizens, have life spans. Some are short. The bumptious Republic of Texas, for instance, lasted only nine years before being absorbed by a larger and even more energetic United States of America. Yugoslavia survived intact for two generations and then fragmented into six parts, seven including Kosovo.
How Turkey and Iran See Each Other
This Opinion first appeared in Hurriyet on April 13, 2012
By Alex Vatanka and Soner Çağaptay
U.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal
Podcast forU.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal 13 April, 2012
U.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal
Podcast forU.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal 13 April, 2012
U.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal
Podcast forU.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal 13 April, 2012
U.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal
Podcast forU.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal 13 April, 2012
U.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal
Podcast forU.S.-Iraq Relations after the Withdrawal 13 April, 2012
Women's Prospects in Afghanistan: Oppression or Opportunity?
Recent media reports indicate that fewer Afghan women turned out to vote for a President on August 20, 2009 than went to the polls five years ago, when in some districts female turnout had been even higher than that of males. Apprehension, convention, ennui, and disorganization led to families keeping their women home on election day, even as men dared to vote. The reversal of women’s rights, which they had only recently begun to exercise, is an ominous sign.
The Iranian Revolution at 30
Originally posted January 2009
It is only fitting that “The Iranian Revolution at 30” begin with an introductory essay by R.K. Ramazani and that this project be dedicated to him. For 55 years, Professor Ramazani has been a teacher and mentor to many scholars and practitioners of the Middle East. His body of work on Iran is unrivalled in its scope and originality. Many of his articles and books on Iranian foreign policy are standard works.
Iran Diplomacy: Letter from Berlin
This article originally appeared in Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel on April 9, 2012
BERLIN – If at one time European governments believed the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran was far more frightening for the United States than for those across the Atlantic, those days are in the past. As talks near on Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran should know that European officials’ views are somewhere in the middle between America’s caution and Israel’s alarm.
Uneasy Reliance: Iran Frets About Turkey
This Opinion first appeared in Frontline’s “Tehran Bureau” on April 3, 2012.