Research & Commentary Results

What Went Wrong after Bonn

Originally posted December 2009

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.

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.