Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, Afghans have been wary of the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan. They remember bitterly the aftermath of the war against the Soviets in the 1980s, when the West -- led by the United States -- left... MORE

Afghanistan's new parliament convened on December 19 in the presence of U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney. Among the items on the opening agenda, the legislators had to select chairmen for each chamber of parliament, and they opted for two former resistance leaders. The upper house elected... MORE

This week Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced his choices for 34 seats in the upper house of parliament (Mishrano Jirga), completing a process that began with the September 18 parliamentary elections. Afghanistan's new bicameral parliament is made up of a 249-seat lower house (Wolose Jirga)... MORE

As insurgent attacks increase in Afghanistan, observers have begun to wonder whether the anti-government forces are receiving foreign training and aid. Recent attacks by the Taliban, such as suicide and multiple bombings and kidnapping foreign workers, increasingly resemble the tactics currently employed in Iraq. While... MORE

Despite bombings and the lingering Taliban insurgency, Afghanistan is showing signs of slowly integrating with regional as well as international economic organizations. This week has been one of Afghanistan's bloodiest, as suicide bombings shook the capital and southern Afghanistan. In one attack in Kandahar province,... MORE

The long-overdue results of the September 18 Afghan parliamentary elections still have not been announced because of complaints and problems with the counting process. The UN-Afghan Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) had planned to release the final tally on Wednesday, November 9, only to once... MORE

Ali Mohaqqeq-Nasab, editor of the Kabul-based women's magazine Hoqooq-e-Zan (Women's Rights), was suddenly arrested on October 1. He was snatched on the street, without any warrant, summons, or prior notice (Outlook Afghanistan, October 2). He was subsequently summoned to court on October 11 to face... MORE

On Monday, September 27, Ashraf Ramazan, a prominent parliamentary candidate from Balkh, a northern province, was assassinated in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in broad daylight. One of his bodyguards was also killed, while another bodyguard and their driver were injured. Ramazan reportedly was running third... MORE

On September 18, Afghanistan completed the last stage of the Bonn Agreements. Parliamentary elections held that Sunday were hailed as a success. The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) has announced the official start of the next phase -- counting the votes in the parliamentary and... MORE

Afghanistan is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, September 18. In the final days of the campaign, hopes and difficulties abound. The hopes stem from the fact that people see the elections as a positive step towards democracy. The difficulties arise from the lack... MORE