Country
Afghanistan
Hassan Abbas on the Return of the Taliban
By Catherine Putz
"Getting into another warlike situation with the Taliban is unlikely to improve the plight of ordinary Afghans or the nature of Afghanistan’s reality today."
What Makes the Taliban Ban Everything?
By Naveen Khan
The Taliban cannot be understood without considering the earliest history, beliefs, and practices of Deobandism.
The Cost of Uzbekistan’s ‘Pragmatic’ Taliban Policy
By Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
Tashkent’s approach to the Taliban has shifted over the years, with the latest swing moving it toward more direct engagement.
With Ban on Beauty Salons, Taliban Continue to Shrink Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
By Amina Zurmati and Qudratullah Zurmati
"I am the only supporter of my three daughters and a jobless husband and this beauty salon is the only source of income for my family," one salon owner said, highlighting the impact of the new decree.
Al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan: Information Blackhole and Strategic (Mis)communication
By Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
U.S. and U.N. estimates about al-Qaida’s strength and position in Afghanistan differ. Sorting out the reality will require concrete efforts to end the information vacuum.
The Taliban’s New Canal Threatens Water Security in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
By Niginakhon Saida
As the Taliban rush to complete the Qosh Tepa canal, Central Asia’s water security is at risk.
The Taliban’s Unsustainable War on Drugs
By Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
Afghanistan's opiate economy is unlikely to be disrupted by a one-off campaign of crop destruction in a handful of provinces.
Taliban Chief Claims Women Have a ‘Comfortable and Prosperous Life’ in Afghanistan
By Rahim Faiez
Akhundzada said that under Taliban rule, concrete measures have been taken to save women from traditional oppressions like forced marriages.
Russian Roulette in Taliban-Held Afghanistan
By Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
Frequent vacillations from hope to pessimism continue to characterize Russian policy toward Afghanistan.
China, Pakistan, and the Taliban: CPEC in Afghanistan
By Mercy A. Kuo
Insights from Claudia Chia.
Taliban Slam ‘Baseless and Biased’ UN Report About Rifts in Their Ranks
By Associated Press
The report said that power has shifted from Kabul to Kandahar, where the group’s supreme leader is based.
Ben Roberts-Smith and the Legacy of the War on Terror
By Aisyah Llewellyn
A judge last week ruled that the decorated Australian veteran committed a host of war crimes while deployed in Afghanistan.