Afghan politics

Afghanistan and the United States: Agreement, at last

A long-awaited deal, though thin on detail, is welcomed in a vulnerable country(73)

Afghanistan: Too close for comfort

In the war in Afghanistan it is not always obvious which side Pakistan is on(80)

Afghanistan: What comes next

Afghanistan gets a rotten press in the West but the outlook is not all bad, particularly if the country’s security forces, shown above, do what is hoped(33)

Banyan: Seeing and believing

As foreign forces draw down, Afghans need to know the foreign commitment does not(52)

The Haqqani network: Snake country

The Pakistani army’s complex relationship with jihadists(182)

An assassination in Afghanistan: The deadly envoy

Already troubled prospects for peace are further shattered(50)

Assassination in southern Afghanistan: A roguish operator

In Kandahar the president’s power-broker kinsman is killed(4)

Afghanistan: Glimmers of hope

It’s been a long slog, but Afghanistan may at last be able to contemplate more stable government(18)

Afghanistan and the American presence: How long?

Attempting both to leave by 2014 and stay perhaps for ever(11)

Afghanistan and Iran: Edgy neighbours

Relations between Afghanistan and Iran are not what they may seem(1)

Afghanistan: Is our generals learning?

If so, they're learning the wrong lessons(23)

Talking to the Taliban: The end of the beginning

Early talks between Afghanistan’s government and the Taliban are welcome but should not be rushed(18)

War in Afghanistan: Lunch with the Taliban

Recent hopes of a negotiated peace are overblown(32)

Afghanistan's parliamentary election: Not exactly a ringing endorsement

Another year, another rigged vote(4)

Afghanistan: Too American to fail

It's not just Kabul Bank, it's the whole intervention(17)

Afghanistan's troubled bank: House of Karzai

A bank run exposes more murky financial and political dealings(1)

Afghanistan's prospects: The great endgame

As the bigwigs hold forth in Kabul, Afghanistan’s future still looks uncertain(24)

The Kabul conference: What cannot be said in five minutes

Smiling bureaucrats in Afghanistan. All is not well(36)

America and Afghanistan: Hug them tight

America makes up with the wayward Afghan leader(9)

America and the Afghan government: When Barack met Hamid

They seem stuck with each other, little as they both may like it(7)