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Why States Recover: Changing Walking Societies into Winning Nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe
The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs has the pleasure of inviting you to a seminar with Greg Mills, who will present his new book "Why States Recover: Changing Walking Societies...

By: Norsk utenrikspolitisk institutt NUPI

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Why States Recover: Changing Walking Societies into Winning Nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe - Video

ASPI Analysis: Afghanistan #39;s elections
Brieana Marticorena breaks down Afghanistan #39;s recent elections, the signing of the United StatesAfghanistan Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), and discusse...

By: ASPICanberra

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ASPI Analysis: Afghanistan's elections - Video

By any stretch of the imagination, Afghanistan isnt the simplest country to travel in. For the visitor, its a world away from backpacking in Thailand or island-hopping in Greece. Its a country recovering from nearly three decades of war, with a host of continuing problems. Youll need to invest time getting the latest safety information, and news from other travellers or colleagues working in the country.

While it remains a volatile, often hostile area, Afghanistan contains some incredible treasures. Kabul sets a buzzing pace and Mazar-e Sharif & Northeastern Afghanistan is the home of the country's most sacred site. Samangan (Aibak) is the site for the caves and shrines of Takht-e Rostam, a hidden Buddhist gem and while the senseless destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan still resonates, their ruins, set in a serene valley, are an awe inspiring sight.

But with the right preparations, and a constant ear to the ground once youre there, travel in Afghanistan is not only a possibility but also incredibly rewarding. The post-Taliban scene has brought investment to the country for the first time in years, and the logistics of getting around and finding somewhere to stay has become increasingly straightforward. Not only that, its an addictive country to visit. Once in Afghanistan, theres something about the people, the history and even the air that can get in your blood and promise to draw you back again. Do your research, and youll find Afghanistan a truly rewarding country.

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Afghanistan - Lonely Planet

Taliban fighters ambushed security forces traveling through northern Afghanistan, sparking a daylong battle that killed 22 soldiers and police, officials said Monday.

The clash occurred in Sari Pol, at most times a relatively placid province, underscoring the growing threat from Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan.

Abdul Jabar Haqbeen, the provincial governor, said the security forces were on their way to the provincial capital when they were ambushed by Taliban forces in the Laghman valley Sunday morning. A battle lasted about 12 hours, with additional Afghan forces coming to the area to repel the assault, which also saw 23 Taliban slain, Haqbeen said.

Afghan forces also called on the U.S.-led military coalition to bomb Taliban positions but the aircraft arrived too late, Haqbeen said.

Also Monday, a disagreement emerged between residents of Paktia province and coalition forces over a weekend airstrike that Afghans said killed seven civilians.

Residents took the bodies to the governors office in Paktia, in eastern Afghanistan, on Monday in a show of protest, according to local media reports. The International Security Assistance Force, as the coalition is known, acknowledged the airstrike but said those killed were insurgents.

Abdul Wali Sahi, deputy governor of Paktia, told reporters that the victims were collecting firewood at the time of the strike.

The dispute comes two weeks after President Ashraf Ghanis administration signed agreements allowing U.S. and NATO forces to remain in Afghanistan into next year. The pact had been delayed for months due in part to former Afghan President Hamid Karzais charges that coalition forces had not done enough to curb civilian casualties.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, several attacks -- including in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif killed at least 14 people and wounded 45 others, according to media reports.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province and long seen as a haven of stability, two gunmen dressed in police uniforms raided the police headquarters, killing two officers and injuring nine others, authorities told Afghan media.

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Taliban ambush kills 22 security forces in northern Afghanistan

By Holly Kearl October 13 at 3:52 PM

Seventeen-year-old Zainab Zawol Shahidy was driving her Toyota 4Runner home from school in Kabul recently when she noticed two men in a vehicle following her. One of them pointed a gun at me and threatened me to drive along in their direction, but I refused and kept driving faster to reach home as soon as I could, she said.

She was forced to pull over when they blocked her. One of the men threw a slip of paper at her with his phone number and said if she didnt call him, he would kidnap her. She made it home and called security. Thankfully she has not seen these men since.

Although there are a growing numbers of women drivers in Kabul, the sight of Shahidy behind the wheel is still unusual. Everywhere she goes, she gets curious stares and frequent harassment, ranging from people making fun of her for driving to threats. I cant drive to places too distant from where I live due to the risk of kidnapping, she told me through the translation of her brother, Ali Shahidy, a psychology major at Norwich University in Vermont.

Despite the risk and danger, Shahidy says she loves to drive. Besides, she said, she faces more harassment when she walks or takes public transportation.

Some of Shahidys relatives believe her driving is dishonorable and will reflect poorly on them, but her immediate family strongly supports her decision, including her older brother Ali. Although the cultural norm is that elders drive, Ali rides as a passenger when he is with her because, he says, I want both men and women to see us together and to see her driving.

The more people who see women driving on streets, the more common it becomes, he said. It is changing now. One could rarely see a female driver in Kabul many years ago. But today we have more women drivers than we ever had.

Noorjahan Akbar, an activist, blogger and American University masters student, agrees. When she learned to drive in Afghanistan a few years ago, she recalls passing a group of children. One of the girls looked up and yelled in Pashtu, Look, its a girl! For many youths, seeing someone like Akbar or Shahidy behind the wheel is the first time they have seen a woman drive.

In 1992, after the communist regime was ousted in Afghanistan, women were discouraged from driving. When the Taliban came to power in 1996, women were banned from driving; the penalty was death. Once the Taliban rule ended, a trickle of women began driving. In 2002, for example, seven of the 8,698 drivers licenses issued were to women, and in 2003, Medica Mondiale, a German medical organization, began teaching women to drive. Fast forward a decade and 20 times as many women received a drivers license, 140 in 2012.

Akbar finds harassment and opposition today usually comes from re-radicalized youth who are influenced by Islamist propaganda. In contrast, the older generation who remember when women had more freedom and drove are less combative, she said.

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She The People: Women drivers in Afghanistan must brave the traffic and the stares