In the News
Insurgent Success in Afghanistan is Mystifying
NPR, 20090922
The insurgency in Afghanistan is getting stronger. According to a leaked assessment of the war, Taliban-led insurgents either control or are fighting in a "significant portion of the country." It's hard to understand why because insurgent fighters are vastly outnumbered by U.S., NATO and Afghan security forces, and their technology is inferior.
To read the full story, click here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113052541
1979: Recalling the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
NPR, 20090819
As part of a series of conversations marking 1979 as a seminal year in the Muslim world, Afghan-born Amin Tarzi talks with Steve Inskeep about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Tarzi is director of Middle East studies at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. He was 15 when the Soviets attacked the presidential palace in Kabul, which Tarzi witnessed from a short distance away.
To read the full story, click here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112014775
Afghan War: 101
NPR, 20090529
Since Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in 2001, more than 600 United States service members have lost their lives in the country, and more than 1800 have been wounded. The Afghan war has been largely overshadowed since the U.S. invasion Iraq in March 2003.
Amin Tarzi, a former Marine and current director of Middle East Studies at the Marine Corps University, explains the conflict, how the mission has changed and how long before the U.S. mission in Afghanistan will be complete.
To read the full story, click here: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104479351
Tarzi: Afghans Likely to be Disappointed at London Conference
CFR, 20090131
To read the full story, click here: https://www.cfr.org/interview/tarzi-afghans-likely-be-disappointed-london-conference
Afghanistan is not Vietnam
PRI’s THE WORLD, 20091007
To read the full story, click here: http://www.theworld.org/2009/10/07/afghanistan-is-not-vietnam/
"The Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan"
FPC Briefing, 20090602
To read the full story, click here: http://fpc.state.gov/124543.htm
Resourcing an Afghan Strategy
CFR Interview, 20090928
To read the full story, click here: http://www.cfr.org/publication/20284/resourcing_an_afghan_strategy.html
Ahmad Zahir: The Voice of the Golden Years
NPR 20100201
Ahmad Zahir is the latest of NPR's 50 Great Voices, in which we're discovering influential singers around the world — living or dead, famous or not. The list includes Zahir, who's sometimes seen as Afghanistan's Elvis. His lifelong fans include a man who grew up with his music: Amin Tarzi. Tarzi, our guide to Zahir's life and music, is a U.S. citizen now, and teaches at the Marine Corps College. In the '70s, he was a boy growing up in Afghanistan.
To read the full story, click here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123137188
Corruption Threatens U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, Galbraith Says
ABC News.com 20100401 by Kristina Wong
"Former Ambassador Peter Galbraith, who stepped down last fall as U.N. deputy special representative to Afghanistan after alleging widespread election fraud in the Afghan national election, was not hopeful for the programs' success. At a recent lecture hosted by the Marine Corps University's Middle East Studies program, he pointed out at least three challenges to efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan."
To read the full story, click here: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Afghanistan/afghan-corruption-threatens-u...
Afghanistan: The Way Forward
NPR WAMU 88.5 The Kojo Nnamdi Show 20101122
Dr. Amin Tarzi appeared as a guest on The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU 88.5 FM. One year after a major policy review sent 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, the Obama administration and its allies are evaluating their success. While there have been measurable achievements on the ground, a looming 2011 deadline for withdrawing troops has cast a pall over strategy and Afghans' spirits. We discuss the way forward, and how the Middle East’s history can serve as a guide.
To read the full story, click here: http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-11-22/afghanistan-way-forward
Al-Qaeda's effect weakens in Mideast
USA TODAY 20110504
Dr. Amin Tarzi was quoted in the USA TODAY story "Al-Qaeda's effect weakens in Mideast"
To read the full story, click here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-05-03-alqaeda-terror-group-weake...
Editorial: Karzai still meeting low expectations
Minneapolis Star Tribune 20101029
Dr. Amin Tarzi was quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune "Editorial: Karzai still meeting low expectations"
To read the full story, click here: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/106346413.html
"Iran's Moderates Used Nuclear Deal to Save the Revolution", Bloomberg View, 20150826
Bloomberg View, 20150826
Dr. Amin Tarzi was quoted by Eli Lake in "Iran's Moderates Used Nuclear Deal to Save the Revolution"
"Amin Tarzi, the director of Middle East studies at the Marine Corps University, told me there is political tension between Rouhani's supporters and the leaders of Iran's revolutionary guard corps, the organization responsible for supporting groups like Hezbollah. He said Iranian elites like Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force, "are trying to show we have long hands elsewhere and we can determine some things in the region.
All of this is important for the internal politics of Iran because different factions are now competing not only for the ear of Iran's supreme leader, but also control of the contracts and ventures that will flood into Iran from new investment after sanctions begin to ease.
But this competition between Iran's elites is not, according to Tarzi, a struggle between reform and revolution. "Rouhani is a patient thinker. And this makes him more dangerous. He sends Rosh Hashanah Twitter messages to Jews, but he has a more long-term and a determined outlook," he told me."
To read the full story, click here: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-26/iran-s-moderates-used-n...