A group of Afghan government officials have vowed to take control of the government if the election impasse is not resolved within the month. According to the NY Times, the officials have condemned the inability of presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, calling on them to make compromises in order to end the crisis.…
A humanitarian convoy carrying refugees out of the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk was completely destroyed yesterday as it came under intense, unannounced rocket fire. The attack has quickly been attributed to pro-Russia separatists fighting in the region, though separatist groups have been quick to deny culpability and have even suggested that the attack never…
In mid-August we had a chance to speak with Jos Boonstra, a Senior Researcher at leading European think tank FRIDE, where he specializes in Eurasian and transatlantic security issues, as well as Central Asia and the South Caucasus. He is the director of the Europe-Central Asia Monitoring (EUCAM) program, and has published dozens of policy…
A meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Berlin has been arranged to discuss terms for ending the heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine, which has only intensified over the weekend. The meeting will be attended by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and France’s Laurent Fabius. Russia has continuously…
Attah Mohammed Noor, one of Abdullah’s leading allies and a divisive figure in the Afghan political scene, has warned of an impending “civil uprising” should the results of the ongoing recount of votes cast in Afghanistan’s elections go against Abdullah. Noor, who has previously acted as governor of the influential northern province of Balkh and…
Ashraf Ghani said yesterday that because the recount deadline is slipping, he is unsure that there will be an obligation for the winner of the election to fully share power with the loser. This refers to an agreement brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry to both recount the vote and diffuse tensions between…
A humanitarian aid operation led by the Red Cross will enter Eastern Ukraine impoverished and war-torn province of Luthansk this week. The operation, which is ostensibly headed up by the Red Cross and backed by Russia, the United States and the European Union, had previously been categorically denied by the Ukrainian government, which perceived it…
