Digital Archive of the Middle East

Items

• Second Arab Exhibition (1934) booklet.
  Copy of twelve-page instructions booklet for the Second Arab Exhibition, which opened in Jerusalem on 6 April 1934.
• Security in Unity: CENTO Exercise Midlink Three
  The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) was a Cold War-era military alliance between Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, the UK and, later, the US, which lasted from February 1955 to March 1979.
• Senator Pike's Report ['Guzarish-I Sinatur Payk'] - analysis in Persian
  Persian document entitled “Guzarish-I Sinatur Payk” [گزارش سناتور پایک] - 'Senator Pike's Report', comprising six small pieces of paper that have been copied and pasted together. The text discusses the findings of the Committee chaired by Otis Pike to investigate C.I.A. involvement in foreign intelligence activities. The Committee's findings, which were highly critical of the CIA, were leaked by the newspaper 'Village Voice' in 1976.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 1
  Issue 1 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame), the central organ of the Communist Party of Afghanistan (Maoist), published in the month of Mizan (October) 1991. The opening article recounts the history of the original Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd newspaper, which first appeared twenty-three years earlier as the revolutionary voice of Afghan Marxist-Leninist youth and was banned during the Soviet occupation. The issue announces the relaunch of the publication under new democratic conditions. It includes a resolution of the founding congress of the Communist Party of Afghanistan tracing the organisation's Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideological lineage; a declaration on support for people's war; and an article on the coup and counter-coup in the Soviet Union.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 14
  Issue 14 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Sawr (May) 1374 / 1995, on the occasion of International Workers' Day. The lead article, titled "Forward to Build and Advance People's War in Afghanistan," addresses all workers, communists, revolutionaries, and Afghan communists on the first of May (International Workers' Day), congratulating them on the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Afghanistan and reaffirming commitment to people's war. A second article, titled "Long Live People's War — Forward to Victory," calls on the party's guerrilla army, workers, and the masses to support a sustained revolutionary and people's war. An urgent message condemns the imperialist forces, particularly the US, and warns against reactionary lists and coalitions that threaten the party's leadership and the people's war, stating that these forces serve imperialism and will ultimately be defeated by the revolution.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 2
  Issue 2 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, the central organ of the Communist Party of Afghanistan (Maoist), published in the month of Qaws (December) 1370 / 1991. Cover articles include: a profile of jihadi leaders as seen in the mirror of the Moscow Accord, examining the political and ideological foundations of the Afghan mujahideen leadership; a statement from the founding congress of the Communist Party of Afghanistan to the Committee of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement; a message from the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement's committee to the Communist Party of Afghanistan; an article on the new world order and the illusion of imperialism for the coming century; and an article titled "People's War — Conspiracy Will Be Defeated." Also includes a notice regarding the propaganda and promotion committee of the party.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 6
  Issue 6 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Sunbula (September) 1371 / 1992, during the intensification of factional fighting in Kabul. The lead article is a statement by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Afghanistan on the recent criminal war in Kabul, condemning all factions of the Islamic regime for the killings, displacement, destruction, looting, and widespread devastation inflicted on the civilian population of Kabul and surrounding areas since the regime's takeover. The article describes rocket attacks, fires, the destruction of government institutions, and the plundering of thousands of homes. A second article discusses contradictions among the reactionary factions, referencing the party's founding congress resolutions of 1991 on class contradictions within Afghan society — between the people and the bourgeoisie and between nationalities — and their relationship with imperialist powers. Other sections include: news of armed resistance; eyewitness accounts; a message of condolence; and a poem about prison.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 15
  Issue 15 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Sunbula 1374 / September 1995, during the rapid military advance of the Taliban movement across Afghanistan. The lead article, titled "Break Out of the Cotton-Wool Sleep," analyses the Taliban phenomenon, describing it as a force claiming to secure Afghanistan's security and stability while rapidly expanding its territorial control, and warning that it risks becoming a tool of powerful external interests. The article expresses concern about the possibility of the Taliban reaching Kabul. A second article, "From Capitulation to Surrender," reviews events following the "Islamic Revolution" declaration of 18 Jowza 1371 (1992), arguing that reactionary forces have maintained power through fragmented governance. A third article announces a position statement by the party, noting that Issue 13 had proposed a plan for forming a "Revolutionary Council of the Afghan People" and criticising the party's lawyers for abandoning this position under outside pressure.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 5
  Issue 5 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Saratan (July) 1371 / 1992, weeks after the fall of Kabul to mujahideen factions. Main articles include: a lead article titled "Break the Silence — Take a Position Against the Islamic State and Advance on the Path of Revolution," criticising the newly established Islamic State of Afghanistan under Sibghatullah Mojaddedi and calling it a coalition of reactionary factions serving foreign powers; an article titled "Take Heed, O Those with Eyes — A Suitable Character for Leadership," analysing the mujahideen factions and their protocols; an article on the continuation of reactionary wars; a notice announcing that the journal Borsh has joined the Communist Party of Afghanistan, tracing its history from its founding in Hut 1368 (1989) as a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist publication affiliated with the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement; and an article on the promises of the ruling reactionaries.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 7
  Issue 7 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the months of Mizan and Aqrab (October–November) 1371 / 1992. Main articles include: a commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the founding of the Afghan Communist-Maoist Movement, tracing its origins to the establishment of the Progressive Youth Organisation in Mizan 1344 (1965); brief notes in memory of the martyred comrade Akram; an article on the Council for the Settlement of Disputes and the conflict among Islamic factions following the Peshawar Accord and the appointment of Mujaddidi and Burhanuddin Rabbani; and a field report titled "Eyewitness Accounts" on the general situation in Kabul after its fall to various armed factions, including conditions in Kabul and other cities.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party (Maoist) of Afghanistan, Third Series, Issue 3 — Special Issue of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement
  Issue 3 of the third series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, a special issue dedicated to the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement (RIM), published in Asad 1383 / August 2004, following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and the fall of the Taliban. This issue coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement. The masthead now reads "Communist Party (Maoist) of Afghanistan," reflecting a name change from "Communist Party of Afghanistan." The publication's stated mission is to prepare and advance people's war in Afghanistan in the form of national popular resistance and revolutionary people's war. The table of contents includes: commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the RIM; the RIM in the programme of the Communist Party (Maoist) of Afghanistan; organisations and parties within the RIM; RIM general conferences and foundational documents; the RIM Committee; the international journal "A World to Win"; key struggles in the RIM; the most important international workers' struggles in the RIM; and people's wars and armed struggles under the leadership of RIM member parties.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 16
  Issue 16 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Hamal (April) 1375 / 1996. The lead article, titled "See the Difference — Where From and Where To?", opens by noting that Issue 15 had been criticised by the newsletter of the Islamic Unity Council ("Amroza") for an article previously published in Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd criticising the leadership of the Islamic Unity Council. The article defends the party's position and responds at length to the Council's claims, while also accusing certain individuals connected to the Council of acting as agents of Soviet imperialism within Afghanistan. The main discussion section of this issue focuses on the subject of national rights of peoples in Afghanistan. A second section carries a revealing headline exposing what the party describes as connections between the Islamic Unity Council, Soviet-linked organisations, and imperialist interests in Afghanistan.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 17
  Issue 17 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Sawr (May) 1375 / May 1996, on the occasion of International Workers' Day and the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Afghanistan. The lead article, titled "This Year Our Celebration Was More Fervent," marks the First of May and the party's founding anniversary, noting that the Communist Party of Afghanistan (Maoist) — one of the member parties of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement — initiated people's war in Nepal on 13 February of that year, and linking the Nepali people's war to the broader struggle in Afghanistan. A second article covers a declaration by the Committee of the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement dated 1 May 1996, reporting on the launch of people's war in Nepal and its significance for world revolution, describing it as a historically important step toward a new wave of proletarian revolution. A third article, titled "People's War from the Mountains to the Plains of the Himalayas Is the Only Way to Liberation," further analyses the Nepali people's war and its international implications.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 18
  Issue 18 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Dalw (February) 1375 / 1997, following the Taliban's capture of Kabul in September 1996. The lead address, titled "Join the Communist Party of Afghanistan — Revive the Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd Current!", calls on fighters, workers, and the oppressed masses to join the party and revive the revolutionary movement, arguing that the Taliban's entry into Kabul has brought a new and intensified crisis to Afghanistan — threatening unity, peace, and the very existence of the country — and that only the Communist Party of Afghanistan bears responsibility for leading the national liberation struggle. A second article, "Small Stamps and a Big Game," analyses the Taliban's takeover of Kabul and the new political crisis it has created, examining how the Taliban — supported by external powers — has swept across the country within months. Two further articles are listed in the contents: "See the Difference — Where From and Where To?" (continued from Issue 16) and "An Era for American Justice."
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 19
  Issue 19 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Saratan (July) 1376 / 1997, during the Taliban's consolidation of control over Afghanistan. The lead article, titled "Social Foundations of Revolutionary Struggle," analyses Afghan society as a semi-colonial, semi-feudal formation in which feudal landlords and comprador bourgeoisie dominate, arguing that a new democratic revolution is not only anti-feudal but also anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist, and anti-chauvinist, and that the slogan "Land to the Tiller" represents the central programme of such a revolution. A second article, "Reactionary Wars and Revolutionary Opportunities," examines the factional conflicts among various Afghan Islamic factions, focusing on clashes between the Taliban and other groups in northern Afghanistan, arguing these conflicts deepen the country's crisis while simultaneously creating revolutionary opportunities. The issue also includes Part 3 of the continuing series "See the Difference — Where From and Where To?" and a brief celebratory note on International Workers' Day.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 20
  Issue 20 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Hamal (April) 1377 / 1998, during the Taliban's consolidation of power across Afghanistan. The lead article, titled "In the Torrent of Independent Struggle," analyses Afghanistan as a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country in which class contradictions, national and gender oppression, and family enmities among various reactionary factions and their foreign imperialist patrons have created multiple forms of armed conflict, arguing that independent revolutionary struggle is the only path forward. A second article, "Military Diplomacy," reviews the sixth year of the "Islamic Revolution" and analyses the Islamic regime's various ideological contradictions. A third article covers "Workers' Reformism." The issue also includes an article on the preconditions for founding a communist party, and a response to a letter received by the editorial board.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 21
  Issue 21 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Sawr (May) 1377 / 1998, on the occasion of International Workers' Day and the seventh anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Afghanistan (founded in Sawr 1370 / May 1991). The lead article marks both occasions and reproduces the party's founding manifesto in summary, stating that the founding of the Communist Party of Afghanistan was the first principled Marxist-Leninist-Maoist step against imperialism, capitalism, and reactionaries in the country. A second article is a joint declaration by the Communist Party of Afghanistan and the Union of Communists of Iran (Sarbedaran), expressing solidarity between the revolutionary movements of Afghanistan and Iran. A third section consists of an interview with the Communist Party of Afghanistan by the publication "Haqiqat" (Truth). The issue also includes an article on the reactionaries' brutal attacks on the toiling masses.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 23
  Issue 23 of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Jowza (June) 1379 / 2000, during a period of severe drought and famine across Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The lead article, titled "What is the Fundamental Solution to Drought?", analyses the catastrophic drought affecting millions of Afghans, arguing that the famine is not solely a natural disaster but is rooted in the country's semi-colonial, semi-feudal social structure, the dominance of landlords and moneylenders, and the inability of the Taliban regime and its imperialist backers to address the crisis. The article calls for revolutionary transformation as the only lasting solution. Additional articles include: "The Necessity of Advancing Resolute Struggle Against Apostasy and Capitulation"; "Women's Anger — A Powerful Force on the Path of Revolution," addressing the oppression of women under the Taliban; and "Achievements of People's War in Nepal," reporting on the progress of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) people's war.
• Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd (Eternal Flame) — The Communist Party of Afghanistan, Second Series, Issue 24–25 (Double Issue)
  A double issue (24–25) of the second series of Shuʿla-yi Jāvīd, published in the month of Saratan (July) 1379 / 2000. The lead article, titled "The Peace of Imperialists and Reactionaries is Worth Nothing," analyses American senior officials' statements about the Taliban, arguing that the US, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia have been supporting the Taliban as a political instrument in Afghanistan and that the so-called "peace process" and "Jihad" and "Peace" organisations are fronts serving American strategic interests in Central Asia. The article reports that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on programmes affecting tens of thousands of Afghans culturally, politically, economically, and socially, yet the Taliban has been unable to achieve full control. Additional articles include: "Islamisation — A Reactionary Policy"; "Women's Resistance Against the Taliban"; "Falls in the Mirror of Reactionaries"; and two poems.
• Statement of the National Leadership of the Ba'ath about the 9th & 10th National Convention and the National Popular Front
  Documentation of statements made by Ba'ath Party leadership and the Party's innerworkings as depicted by the Party itself.
• Statement on Balochistan by the Ḥizb-i Dimukrāt-i Kurdistān-i Īrān (Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan) in Sweden
  Undated statement on Balochistan - printed in Sorani Kurdish - by the Ḥizb-i Dimukrāt-i Kurdistān-i Īrān (Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan) in Sweden
• Syrian Arab Republic Ministry of Information Damascus, The Joint Soviet - Syrian Arab Statement
  A statement of the Syrian-Soviet relationship, including Syria's change to socialism and the support it received from the Soviet state. Includes discussions of contemporary political and social concerns for both Syria and the Soviet Union under their joint political interests. 
• The Afghan Communist Movement and Our Understanding of It
  A multi-page excerpt (pages 55–56 visible, part of a longer document) tracing the history of the Afghan communist/Maoist movement from its origins in scattered pre-1965 study circles through the formation of the Progressive Youth Organisation (Sazman-e Jawanan-e Motaraqqi), founded 13 Mizan 1344 (October 1965) as a Maoist current opposed to the pro-Soviet "revisionist" line of the Khalq/People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. It covers the organisation's role in launching the Sho'la-ye Jawid ("Eternal Flame") current, subsequent splits producing groups such as the Liberation Organisation of Afghanistan, and a critical retrospective on roughly two decades of the movement's organisational successes and failures. The analysis is written from within the Maoist tradition descending from Akram Yari, evaluating rival factions' departures from what it terms the movement's original correct line.
• The Arab Revolution, no. 4 (December 1965)
• The Arab Revolution, no. 5 (November 1966)