Ahmad Majidyar

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Iran wields soft power in Afghanistan

Ahmad Majidyar | January 25, 2013, 8:56 am

Afghanistan’s former intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, has written an informative piece on the BBC Pashto website, explaining Iran’s soft power and hard power activities aimed at expanding the country’s influence in Afghanistan and undermining U.S. interests there. He notes that … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, AfPak

Afghan pundits question ‘hasty’ transition

Ahmad Majidyar | January 15, 2013, 9:10 am

Afghan lawmakers, politicians, and security analysts warn that a hasty transition risks undoing the last decade’s achievements and aids efforts by the Taliban and al Qaeda to reconstitute in parts of the country. read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, AfPak

Mullah Omar’s Eid message: Congrats on military victories

Ahmad Majidyar | October 24, 2012, 2:18 pm

In his Eid message released today, Taliban’s reclusive leader Mullah Omar congratulated his followers on “this year’s unprecedented military victories” against the Coalition forces in the country: “[Translated from Dari] Mujahid brothers: You are witnessing that the ranks of jihad … read more >

Image Credit: Official U.S. Army Imagery (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Foreign and Defense Policy

Restricting joint operations with ANSF: Major setback to mission in Afghanistan

Ahmad Majidyar | September 19, 2012, 8:31 am

The U.S. and NATO’s decision to restrict joint operations with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) presents a major setback to the military mission in Afghanistan. The new rules call into question the most critical pillar of the Obama administration’s … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, AfPak

Long-overdue: Haqqani Network designated as terrorist organization

Ahmad Majidyar | September 7, 2012, 8:38 am

The New York Times today reports that the Obama administration has decided to designate as a terrorist organization the Haqqani Network, the most deadly faction of the Taliban movement responsible for high-profile attacks against American and Afghan military and civilian targets … read more >

Hindsight Isn’t 20/20
Many lessons should be drawn from the U.S. experience in Iraq. Unfortunately, we’re not learning what we should. […]
The Uses of Scandal
One of the greatest uses of scandal is to vividly demonstrate what new laws are needed and to create the political conditions to get them enacted. […]
Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]