Tariq Saeedi The situation is darkly unique even for Afghanistan, a country where darkly unique situations bubble up almost every day. The hope for peace in Afghanistan was so real a few weeks ago but it is getting smothered by the events that have piled up thick and fast. The peace agreement signed between the […]
Taliban and Central Asia – Part 1
Tariq Saeedi The ink on the peace agreement signed between the USA and the Taliban on 29 February 2020 in Doha had barely dried when the disruptive noises started emerging to defeat the likelihood of peace in Afghanistan. We all know who doesn’t want peace, and why, but for now there is the need to […]
American-Taliban Agreement – Preamble to Peace in Afghanistan
Tariq Saeedi The simplicity of language and the brevity of text show the clarity of mind from both sides. It is a genuine attempt to wrap the longest war of the American history in less than four pages of plainly defined commitments, and the steps that must be taken to rebuild peace in Afghanistan. The […]
Afghanistan – At the threshold of lasting peace, or brink of insane violence?
Tariq Saeedi After more than 18 months of off-again, on-again negotiations, the Taliban and the USA could possibly sign the peace accord on 29 February 2020. Although the terms of the deal have not been made public officially, it is possible to guess some of the details based on the information from the various Taliban […]
American policies creating new stress points – Neutrality is the only viable option Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Central Asia is simultaneously blessed and cursed by its geography. Except for the soviet period, Central Asia has traditionally seen endless streams of people and cargo moving in all directions. The transit potential has been a dependable source of its prosperity. The region is at the heart of the Eurasian landmass. — The […]
If this is a rules-based world, what are the rules?
Tariq Saeedi US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday (15 February 2020) at the Munich Security Conference that Russia and China were ‘destabilizing the rules-based international system.’ Speaking immediately after him, the US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper decried the ‘Chinese manipulation of the long-standing international rules-based order.’ Rules-based international system? Rules-based order? […]
US Strategy for Central Asia – A cart without horse
Tariq Saeedi They are trying to bring in a cart and they hope to use someone else’s horse. — This is the simple, short, and correct description of the newly unveiled US Strategy for Central Asia for the period 2019-2025. This reminds us of a short fable of Mulla Nasrudin, the great Central Asian wit, […]
New American sanctions – Punishment for people of Iran?
Tariq Saeedi Notwithstanding the showcase rhetoric, the new American sanctions announced on 10 January 2020 are clearly meant to punish the people of Iran for their failure to overthrow the regime. Here is the summary of the press release issued by the US Department of Treasury on 10 January 2020 The new sanctions apply to: […]
Iran-US spat – resizing of situation and a word of caution for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Iran fired some missiles at two US bases in Iraq on Tuesday and declared it as ‘proportionate response’ to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani. Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday and hinted at increasing the pressure on Iran without going for further military action. Both sides desire de-escalation although the tussle through […]
Ирано-американский раздор – перемасштабирование ситуации и предупреждение для Центральной Азии
Тарик Саиди Иран выпустил несколько ракет по двум американским базам в Ираке во вторник и объявил это “пропорциональным ответом” на убийство генерала Кассема Солеймани. Трамп обратился к нации в среду и намекнул на усиление давления на Иран без дальнейших военных действий. Обе стороны стремятся к деэскалации, хотя борьба с помощью побочных средств, безусловно, будет продолжаться. […]