Javid Ahmad
The Hill
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Javid:
The Taliban’s dangerous hermit kingdom
Washington must diversify its approach and engage the Taliban clerical leadership, potentially by developing new sources of pressure and leverage. → Read More
After al-Zawahiri, what’s next for America’s Taliban policy?
Al Qaeda’s decision to place their supreme leader within a mile of the presidential palace points to the strength of its alliance with the Taliban. → Read More
Pakistan is opening a dangerous Pandora's box with the Taliban
As the Taliban’s whisperers, Pakistani leaders may have calculated that the Taliban is an expensive enemy, but a cheaper partner. → Read More
The Taliban's emerging tactical terror alliances
The running challenge is that the United States remains undecided about what it wants to do with Afghanistan. → Read More
Afghan Power Sharing Deal Breaks Kabul’s Political Impasse and Raises Hope for Unity
With the tentative peace deal under fire, continuing havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a looming U.S. troop withdrawal, the breakthrough in the Afghan governments political deadlock... → Read More
Spoilers in the wings for US-Taliban deal
Reality in Afghanistan never unfolds as smoothly as theoretical frameworks and carefully crafted diplomatic memoranda might suggest. → Read More
What does Soleimani's death mean for Afghanistan?
Instead of surrendering to temptations to leave Afghanistan, U.S. policy should be focused on countering Iran’s growing influence in Afghanistan. → Read More
How the U.S. can help ensure Afghanistan’s peace process succeeds
Peace requires talking, and talking takes time. → Read More
The Taliban should accept the Afghan olive branch
The Taliban are unlikely to ever be in a stronger position than they are right now to negotiate peace. → Read More
Afghanistan's Intelligence Service Needs to be Fixed
As the dust settles after the latest string of ghastly bombings in Kabul that took nearly 150 lives, including foreigners, the failure to prevent the attacks should be debated through one important prism: fixing the Afghan intelligence. By any measure, the new wave of violence across Afghanistan is a forceful response by the Taliban—and, arguably, … → Read More
Mistrust: the Original Sin of US-Pakistan Relations
Last week was a new low for the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, beginning with a stormy tweet message from the U.S. president and culminating in cutting off U.S. security assistance to Islamabad. This included $255 million in Foreign Military Financing and about $900 million in the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). In response, Pakistan’s foreign minister declared that the United States is a “friend … → Read More
Mistrust is the original sin of US-Pakistan relations
In truth, Pakistan has never really trusted the United States. → Read More
Afghanistan’s Guerrilla Politics Threatens US Afghan Mission
The dangerous ongoing showdown between the Kabul government and Atta Mohammad Noor, a warlord-turned-governor of Balkh province, is inescapably about two things: money and muscle. Although this explosive combination of vying fiercely for power and money has been the cornerstone of Afghan politics for decades, this time it could threaten the current U.S. military campaign … → Read More
Mafia politics threaten Afghan security as much as insurgency does
Political infighting in Kabul could undercut Afghan security, including fracturing the country’s security forces. → Read More
The Art of a Political Deal with the Taliban
Days after reports that the Trump administration is considering to close the Taliban political office in Qatar, the United States has revived the four-nation Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), aimed at seeking to politically negotiate an end to the War in Afghanistan. Negotiators from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States convened in Oman on … → Read More
The art of a political deal with the Taliban
The central question before any serious talks begin remains: Who are we really negotiating with? → Read More
India has feature role in Trump's new Afghan plan
OPINION | Afghan leaders have welcomed Trump’s call for India’s help in Afghanistan. → Read More
Trump rightly paints Pakistan as foe, not friend
OPINION | Trump's policy makes clear that Washington would no longer tolerate Pakistan’s duplicity. → Read More
Finally, an Afghanistan Strategy that Puts Pressure on Pakistan
President Donald Trump deserves praise for his new, long-overdue Afghanistan policy, which was unveiled after a torturous, months-long debate. The new policy moved beyond specifying future US troop numbers to defining a larger strategic end state in Afghanistan. More importantly, the policy drew a clear distinction between America’s friends and foes and sent the right … → Read More
Afghanistan Strategy: Putting Pressure on Pakistan
President Donald Trump deserves praise for his new, long-overdue Afghanistan policy, which was unveiled after a torturous, months-long debate. The new policy moved beyond specifying future U.S. troop... → Read More