How Suleimani’s death will affect India and Pakistan
by Rashmee
Posted on January 6, 2020 / The National
To properly consider the possible fallout of Friday’s targeted US strike on Qassem Suleimani, of Iran’s elite Quds Force, disregard the tub-thumping rhetoric from Washington and the ominous rumblings from Tehran. Listen instead for the sound of silences within disparate countries’ statements on the situation. Consider the responses offered by South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbours, India … Continue reading “How Suleimani’s death will affect India and Pakistan”
Read MoreThe number of deals president Donald Trump has done: Zero
by Rashmee
Posted on September 9, 2019
After President Donald Trump publicly revealed – and publicly cancelled – his hitherto secret plan to host the Taliban and the president of Afghanistan at Camp David, it’s time to question the boasts and the reality of the big deals he claimed he could broker for America three years ago. The negotiations with the Taliban … Continue reading “The number of deals president Donald Trump has done: Zero”
Read MoreIs Trump a pessimist or a prophet? In 2013, he was tweeting about World War III
by Rashmee
Posted on April 21, 2017
“Be prepared,” warned Donald J Trump. “there is a small chance that our horrendous leadership could unknowingly lead us into World War III.” That was on August 31, 2013, much before Mr Trump or anyone else could have expected him to be in the White House, running America’s affairs and serving as “leader of the … Continue reading “Is Trump a pessimist or a prophet? In 2013, he was tweeting about World War III”
Read MoreA sad loss. The US army version of T. E. Lawrence for Afghanistan’s war
by Rashmee
Posted on July 29, 2015
Today, July 29th, it’s exactly a month since the US army ended a seven-year experiment that had its heart in the right place: with the people the Afghan war was meant to help. At the end of June, the military confirmed that it was calling time on the rather sinisterly named Human Terrain System programme. … Continue reading “A sad loss. The US army version of T. E. Lawrence for Afghanistan’s war”
Read MoreThis Valentine story from Afghanistan with a lot of hope and broken hearts
by Rashmee
Posted on February 14, 2015
This year’s Valentine story must come from the country that dare not love too much, too publicly. This account in Medium by Mujib Mashal @MujMash describes Afghanistan’s weekly radio show “The Night of the Lovers”. It’s daring, in all sorts of ways, for Afghanistan, where “until the beginning of the US war and the fall … Continue reading “This Valentine story from Afghanistan with a lot of hope and broken hearts”
Read MoreRecognize that some people think Charlie Hebdo was ‘asking for it’
by Rashmee
Posted on January 12, 2015
Take two front pages – one in, say, Pakistan; the other in Britain. Find two entirely different perspectives. That’s the fundamental faultline. Let’s stop being overly politically correct and recognize that some people don’t get the joke if you start mocking the Prophet or using satire to highlight aspects of their faith. They believe that … Continue reading “Recognize that some people think Charlie Hebdo was ‘asking for it’”
Read MoreEuropean Muslims need political representation, so says Michel Houellebecq
by Rashmee
Posted on January 10, 2015
Michel Houellebecq (pronounced ‘wellbeck’) should be read – and praised or condemned only after that essential act. I say this off the back of news that Mr Houellebecq’s controversial new novel ‘Soumission’ (Submission), which imagines a France where a fictional Muslim party wins the French election in 2022, will be published in English in September. … Continue reading “European Muslims need political representation, so says Michel Houellebecq”
Read MoreAs he bows out, William Burns doesn’t address lessons of Herat
by Rashmee
Posted on October 26, 2014
In his wise reflections on 33 years in the diplomacy business, US Deputy Secretary of State William J Burns has spoken of the new “realities (which) pose some real challenges” for professional diplomats. He summed up some of the new realities as follows: “How can we add value in a world of instant and nearly … Continue reading “As he bows out, William Burns doesn’t address lessons of Herat”
Read MoreUS in Herat: Honeyed words can’t mask Afghanistan’s hard reality
by Rashmee
Posted on October 25, 2014
By now the US Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, will have moved from its plush, five-star location to a military camp and with it goes some of the good news narrative so determinedly put out in the run-up to December’s NATO-ISAF withdrawal. That Consulate was always an anomaly – a vast, marbled, relatively luxurious location that … Continue reading “US in Herat: Honeyed words can’t mask Afghanistan’s hard reality”
Read MoreCEO, Afghanistan! Is this a ‘real country or just acting like one’?
by Rashmee
Posted on September 22, 2014
Any friend of Afghanistan must fear for its future. It is to have a CEO, akin to a Wall Street for-profit organization. The new CEO will have authority on a par with Afghanistan’s new president, whose election “win” was announced on Sunday sans any mention of margin of victory, or voter turnout, three months after … Continue reading “CEO, Afghanistan! Is this a ‘real country or just acting like one’?”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK