Afghanistan

United Kingdom: Bitter aftertaste of ‘freedom fries’

Reporting on an audit of British military operations since the Cold War by the world’s oldest defence think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), […]

28 May 2014 – VoxEurop The Independent, The Daily Telegraph

Syrian refugees: Bulgaria heading towards humanitarian crisis

"Twenty thousand refugees are arriving in Bulgaria," says Bulgarian daily Sega at a time when the country is already facing a rising tide of migrants, […]

10 October 2013 – Presseurop Sega, Standart 2

War in Afghanistan : ‘Kunduz camp handed over to Afghans’

On October 6, “10 years after the launch of German military intervention in Kunduz, Germany transferred responsibility for the camp to Afghan security forces,” reports […]

7 October 2013 – Presseurop Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 3

Denmark: ‘Exit Afghanistan’

The Danish contingent of peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan began their withdrawal from the country on July 22. As of August 1, only 300 of the […]

23 July 2013 – Presseurop Berlingske Tidende 1

Afghanistan: ‘Threatened with death for helping Swedes’

The government has refused to grant asylum to local interpreters working for the Swedish army in Afghanistan, arguing that all asylum seekers should receive equal […]

21 March 2013 – Presseurop Dagens Nyheter 1

United Kingdom: ‘UK troops face final Afghan sacrifice’

British soldiers may have the length of their tours of duty in Afghanistan extended from six months to nine months in the period leading up […]

1 March 2013 – Presseurop The Independent 2

EU-Africa: Europe is disappearing from Africa

The West, and particularly European countries, are slowly being driven out of Africa by emerging economies, with China at the forefront. A Dutch journalist argues that if Europe still wants to play any role at all, it should cast aside its paternalism and fear of neocolonialism.

12 February 2013 – NRC Handelsblad (Amsterdam) 22

Article: Today's front pages

As the Eurogroup gave final approval to the €130 billion aid package to Greece, the Greek government announced details of wage cuts in the private […]

13 March 2012 – Presseurop

9/11, 10 years on: The East rises over Ground Zero

We have spent the years since the attacks on US soil focusing on the terrorist threat and wars in Afganistan and Iraq. But we have been blind to the real global change : the slow but unstoppable rise of China, writes Timothy Garton Ash.

9 September 2011 – The Guardian (London) 2

France: 5 soldiers dead as Bastille celebrations begin

"A July 14 in mourning", headlines Le Parisien. On the eve of the 222nd anniversary of the French revolution, a national holiday, France has learned […]

14 July 2011 – Presseurop Aujourd'hui en France - Le Parisien

France-Afghanistan: Free after 18 months with the Taliban

“Free at last,” headlines French daily Libération, following the release June 29 of two French journalists who were held hostage for 547 days by the […]

30 June 2011 – Presseurop Libération

Afghanistan: French troops to follow US retreat

"France to withdraw from Afghanistan," headlines Le Figaro. Just hours after President Barack Obama’s announcement that a third of American forces will leave Afghanistan by […]

24 June 2011 – Presseurop Le Figaro 1

Poland: Poles dying for US citizenship

“US Army citizen,” headlinesGazeta Wyborcza, reporting that many young Poles with green cards (permanent US residency permits) are joining the American army to obtain US […]

11 May 2011 – Presseurop Gazeta Wyborcza 1

Terrorism: Bin Laden’s legacy

Symbolic as the death of the al-Qaeda leader is, it does not mark the end of the fight against terrorism, nor of its consequences for our way of life, writes Le Monde.

2 May 2011 – Le Monde (Paris) 2

Terrorism and democracy: Bin Laden's demise occurred long before his death

The news that al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed last night by US forces has been widely welcomed, including by EU politicians, as a […]

2 May 2011 – Presseurop Notebook

Immigration: What to do? Give them a job!

Italy has requested financial assistance from the EU to cope with the wave of migrants from north Africa. Instead of increasing the budget of Frontex, the border security agency, the EU should rather reform its asylum policy to foster economic integration of immigrants.

18 February 2011 – La Repubblica (Rome) 2

Arab revolutions: Seven reasons to be hopeful

“Arab revolutions: a chance for us.” With a slight air of revenge after seven months of debate on the place of Islam in Germany, Die […]

17 February 2011 – Presseurop Die Zeit 1

Military: Misunderstanding over Dutch mission

“We want to fight the Taliban say Kunduz police,” reports Volkskrant. According to the Dutch daily, Afghan police are “very puzzled by the Dutch mission.” […]

15 February 2011 – Presseurop De Volkskrant

Netherlands: New mission to Afghanistan

Less than a year after discord over the Afghanistan issue led to the collapse of the previous government, the Netherlands is preparing to send a […]

27 January 2011 – Presseurop Trouw

Europol: Protest, an increasingly suspect activity

EU countries have been swapping information with their allies in the "war on terror". Often it's just information on “troublemakers”, i.e. political protesters. And whether they have actually ever committed an offence makes no difference.

26 January 2011 – Frankfurter Rundschau (Frankfurt) 1

Greece: Afghan refugees occupy university

"Law faculty turned into shantytown," complains To Ethnos. On 23 January, 250 Afghan immigrants and a number of left-wing students occupied amphitheatres in the University […]

25 January 2011 – Presseurop To Ethnos

Spain: Saying Adiós to Afghanistan

"Troops to leave Afghanistan this year,” announces La Vanguardia. On 6 January, defence minister Carme Chacón said she hopes “to begin the process of handing […]

7 January 2011 – Presseurop La Vanguardia

NATO: The death of the west

The NATO summit to be held in Lisbon on 19 and 20 November will be marked by the rise of Russian influence in the alliance. A Romanian editorialist highlights the vital importance of the link between Eastern Europe and Washington.

19 November 2010 – România libera (Bucharest)

Sweden: Afghanistan consensus breaks down

“Death will not change Sweden’s tactics” in Afghanistan, writes Svenska Dagbladet, after Sweden's 500 strong contingent suffered its fifth casualty on 16 October. Predicting that […]

18 October 2010 – Presseurop Svenska Dagbladet

Italy / Afghanistan: Rome's secret dirty war

The death of four Alpini troops in the Afghan province of Farah on 9 October has reignited debate on Italy’s participation in the Nato-led intervention […]

15 October 2010 – Presseurop L'Espresso

Italy / Afghanistan: Bomb first, retreat later

"Kabul, Italy’s pulling out in 2011," headlines La Repubblica. The death of four Italian soldiers, ambushed in the Afghan province of Farah, has rekindled the […]

12 October 2010 – Presseurop La Repubblica

Afghanistan: Taliban claim two Spanish victims

“Revolt against Spanish troops”, headlines Público. The Madrid daily, along with the rest of the national press, is given over to news of the killing […]

26 August 2010 – Presseurop Público

Peacekeeping: Berlin lost in Somalia

"German debacle in the horn of Africa", headlines Die Tageszeitung after the disappearance of 1,000 Somali peacekeepers freshly trained by German armed forces in Ethiopia. […]

30 July 2010 – Presseurop Die Tageszeitung

Terrorism: Somali lessons for Afghanistan

Following the leak to the international press of over 90,000 documents related to the war in Afghanistan, there is precious little evidence that the country is stabilising. The west might do well to abandon its counter-insurrection strategy there, and focus instead on counter-terrorism.

27 July 2010 – Financial Times (London)

Afghanistan: The war unravels

“Massive leak of secret files exposes truth of occupation”, leads the Guardian. In what is described as one of the biggest leaks in US military […]

26 July 2010 – Presseurop Presseurop

Afghanistan: British army leaves war to Americans

“Afghanistan: Now it's America's war”,headlines the Independent, the day after the British army announced its withdrawal from Sangin, in Helmand province. Described as a "honey […]

8 July 2010 – Presseurop The Independent

Poland: Warsaw working on Afghanistan pull out

“Afghanistan mission to end in 2013," headlines Gazeta Wyborcza, on plans currently being drawn up by Warsaw and NATO to withdraw the Polish army contingent […]

24 June 2010 – Presseurop Gazeta Wyborcza

Gaza flotilla: Why is Israel judged by different standards?

So far it seems that nine civilians were killed during the storming by Israeli commandoes of the aid flotilla heading for the Gaza Strip. And, […]

1 June 2010 – Presseurop Notebook

Germany: President deserts Afghanistan debate

Criticised for remarking while on a visit to Afghanistan that an export reliant country like Germany occasionally has to defend its economic interests, the German […]

1 June 2010 – Presseurop Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Cinema: Afghanistan documentary rocks Denmark

The general staff of the Danish army has started an investigation of war crimes possibly committed by soldiers in Afghanistan, after Janus Metz’ documentary Armadillo […]

18 May 2010 – Presseurop Jyllands-Posten

Afghanistan: Italian government leaves NGO high and dry

The Afghan authorities have scotched reports that three Italians working for Emergency, an NGO that provides medical aid in international war zones, have confessed to […]

13 April 2010 – Presseurop Il Manifesto

Afghanistan: A costly miscasting

In a serious case of dangerous amateurism, the European Commission has jeopardised its own personnel on the ground in Kabul, reveals Libération. In 2008 it […]

23 March 2010 – Presseurop Libération

Common Defence : Time to close ranks

When it comes to defence, each member state has so far been content to pump money into its own army. But challenges posed by the conflict in Afghanistan may force a rethink of this policy.

9 March 2010 – European Voice (Brussels) 2

Afghanistan: War comes home

Unable to agree on whether to keep their troops in Afghanistan, the Dutch coalition government collapsed on 20 February. The shockwave could hit other European contingents on the ground, predicts the European press.

22 February 2010 – Presseurop

Europhrenia: The world last week

I was on the France 24 World This Week debate with John Vinocur from the IHT, Judah Grunstein of World Politics Review, who wrote this […]

4 February 2010 – Presseurop Notebook

Afghanistan: Squaring the circle

The Western community have got to stop reducing Afghanistan to a domestic policy issue and deluding themselves and the public, writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung: viz. that their objectives can be achieved, that they can go home soon and, above all, that there will be a happy end in Afghanistan.

29 January 2010 – Süddeutsche Zeitung (Munich) 2

Article: Dark secrets and necessary lies

On 29 January, Tony Blair appeared before a commission of inquiry to explain the manner in which he decided to lead his country into a […]

29 January 2010 – Presseurop

Diplomacy: Getting out of the Afghan quagmire

"It's still hard", headlines Tageszeitung. In the light of Barack Obama's Afghanistan strategy – "which isn't one", the Berlin daily quips – an editorial calls […]

28 January 2010 – Presseurop Die Tageszeitung

Afghanistan: 100 dead soldiers

Followingthe death on December 7th of yet another soldier in Helmand province, British army casualties in Afghanistan have reached one hundred this year, making it […]

8 December 2009 – Presseurop The Daily Telegraph

Afghanistan: Mission : Blurred

The US wants more German soldiers in Afghanistan. The current Bundestag debate goes to show the governments involved have yet to clarify their objectives or give up the myth of the noble warrior, and they adamantly refuse to put the public in the picture, deplores the Tageszeitung.

3 December 2009 – Die Tageszeitung (Berlin)

Afghanistan: Poland answers Obama's call

Poland will send another thousand soldiers to Afghanistan to support its 2000-strong contingent in the country, the front page of Polska reports. The move is […]

30 November 2009 – Presseurop Polska The Times

Germany: Bundeswehr Afghan blunder exposed

In an explosive scoop in 26 November edition, Bild has revealed the existence of "a top-secret video of the Bundeswehr aerial attack" on two tanker […]

26 November 2009 – Presseurop Bild