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Muhammad Murad

Muhammad Murad

Muhammad Murad is a Ph.D. Political Science Candidate at the University of Bonn, Germany.

Muhammad Murad hails from Thul, a town in the Jacobabad District of Sindh province in Pakistan, and is fluent in five languages: Balochi, Sindhi, Urdu, English and German. Currently, he is a Ph.D. Political Science Candidate at the University of Bonn, Germany. He can be reached here via email

Posts by Muhammad Murad
December 19, 2024

Is the Haqqani Network Parting Ways With the Taliban Regime?

By Muhammad Murad
A suicide attack killing a senior Haqqani Network leader underscores recent reports of tensions between the group and the Taliban's supreme leader.

December 10, 2024

Amid Political Turmoil, Germany Stresses De-Risking From China

By Muhammad Murad
Even as the governing coalition fell apart, Germany’s foreign minister did not shy away from criticizing China during her visit. 
December 06, 2024

Should China Be Worried About the Biden Administration’s Growing Africa Engagement?

By Muhammad Murad
Growing U.S. engagement with Africa, epitomized by the Lobito Corridor, is deemed a counterbalance to China’s influence. However, China’s engagement with African countries cannot be overturned so easily.

November 25, 2024

Australia-China Relations: From Comprehensive Strategic Partners to Frenemies

By Muhammad Murad
The election of Donald Trump will pose new challenges for the fragile rapprochement between China and Australia.

November 15, 2024

What Trump’s Presidency Means for Afghanistan and the Taliban

By Muhammad Murad
Trump's first administration signed a deal with the Taliban. With the group now in de facto control of the country, how will Trump 2.0 approach Afghanistan?

November 07, 2024

Germany’s Pivot to India

By Muhammad Murad
For both geopolitical and geoeconomic reasons, Germany has a growing interest in India.
September 21, 2024

Pakistan and Russia’s Pivot to the Global South

By Muhammad Murad
Despite tough choices and sanctions, there is noticeably increased engagement between Islamabad and Moscow.

September 14, 2024

The US Withdrawal from Afghanistan: ‘Willful Blindness’ or a Face-Saving Act?

By Muhammad Murad
The chaos of the U.S. exit from Afghanistan has become politicized. But the blame stretches back decades, through both Republican and Democratic administrations.

September 09, 2024

China’s African Bet and Vice Versa: A Positive-Sum Game?

By Muhammad Murad
Despite criticism and skepticism, China seems to be Africa’s last hope, if not its best bet.

August 31, 2024

Virtue and Vice Law Further Affirms Taliban’s Power in Afghanistan

By Muhammad Murad
With the new virtue and vice law, the Taliban are on track to take the country back to the norms of their late 1990s rule.

August 17, 2024

From Doha Accord to Doha Process: Why the International Community Fails to Bring Peace to Afghanistan

By Muhammad Murad
The U.S. and the global community have repeatedly failed to recognize that engaging with the Taliban alone will not bear fruitful results.
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