Conversion to Islam: The process of Shi’ization of the Hazaras (part 2)
Conversion to Islam: The process of Shi’ization of the Hazaras (Part 1) Since the theories described in the first episode do not paint a clear picture of the Hazaras’ Shia orientation, so now we try to look at it from a new angle that is the conversion of the Mongol Il-Khanids in Persia and its […]
US-led State-building in Afghanistan and Survival of the Warlords
Post 9/11 US-led state-building efforts in Afghanistan have not been able to strengthen political structure and resolve social issues, or they have never intended to do so. There is a possibility that these efforts were never directed to such a cause; rather, they were to give only an impression of state-building, while the US intervention […]
US Taliban Deal: One Year On
Last year, on February 29th, the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban which was hailed as a success by some and a surrender, capitulation, and defeat by the critics. What did it achieve for the two sides and the region and the country as a whole? First, a few words about the deal […]
Conversion to Islam: The process of Shi’ization of the Hazaras (part 1)
The question that how Hazaras embraced Islam have been controversial among the scholars of Hazara history and there are different scholars with different viewpoints on this matter, which may not lead us to a specific conclusion, or we can say that these assessments lead us to understand the historicity of Hazaras’ Shi-ization as part of […]
The Civilian Massacre in Behsud
On Friday, January 29, 2021, the Afghan security forces fired on a peaceful gathering in Behsud killing more than 10 people, injuring another 20 and holding captive more than 60 others. The region is a district in central Afghanistan. Why did the Afghan security forces open fire and under whose order committed this act, is […]
British Intervention and Nation-State in Afghanistan
The process of formation of Afghanistan as a nation-state, with its current boundaries was initiated with the Treaty of Gandomak (1879) signed between the British Empire and the Afghan Amir, Yaqub Khan. It was when the responsibility of designing the foreign policy of Afghanistan was bestowed to the British. Later, during the reign of Abdur […]
Deportations Despite Escalation in Civil War in Afghanistan
Terrorist attacks, bomb explosions and rocket attacks are not on the agenda in Afghanistan. These are common incidents that take place there almost every day. Afghan security forces are now overwhelmed, and residents are living a life of terror. The world is just watching. Read this article in German language [ Deportations-German ] For more than […]
Why Afghanistan’s Form of Government Needs to Change
Afghanistan is not governable under the current constitution. The nature of Afghanistan is ethnically diverse and geographically distant. Despite these challenges, GIRoA is asked to rule by fiat from Kabul under its constitution. The problem with the current government is the lack of democratic institutions, poorly drawn internal boundaries, and the lack of local agencies […]
US Withdrawal from Afghanistan and its Aftermath
Recently, the US daily, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled, “Afghanistan Braces for Worst as US Troops Withdrawal Accelerates.” The paper talks about the situation in the country and then highlights a local commander, Abdul Ghani Alipoor, a Hazara from central Afghanistan who commands a group of fighters numbering about 500. He is […]
Sunni Hazaras of Afghanistan
Sunni Hazaras like their Ismaili brethren have been an integral part of the larger Hazara community in Afghanistan. Painful historical events perpetrated by the former rulers of Afghanistan from the time of the creation of the country as a geographical entity onward especially during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman who waged a sectarian as well a racial war of genocide against Shi’ite Hazaras created a distance between the two main portions of the Hazaras.