Tag
Taliban
Western Disengagement Will Turn Afghanistan Into a Pariah State
By Hameed Hakimi and Mark Bowden
If Western governments and humanitarian actors abandon Afghans now, we will be condemning a whole nation to a grinding cycle of brutal poverty with unpredictable long-term consequences.
What Are the Implications of Uzbekistan’s Rapprochement With the Taliban?
By Akram Umarov and Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili
Tashkent has sought to serve as a broker between the Taliban and the world to keep Afghanistan on the global agenda.
US Strikes Down al-Qaida Leader in Heart of Kabul
By Catherine Putz
It’s difficult to believe that the Taliban were unaware of al-Zawahiri living in a safe house in the middle of Kabul.
Can the Taliban Actually Prevent Attacks Launched From Afghan Soil?
By Catherine Putz
The Taliban promised, again, that Afghan soil would not be used to threaten the security of neighboring countries a day after five rockets landed in an Uzbek border town.
What Are the Social and Political Values of the Afghan People?
By Catherine Putz
Maryam Baryalay on the political norms and values of the Afghan people.
The Taliban’s Many Problematic Borders
By Catherine Putz
The Taliban are beset on all sides by difficult borders, and the group’s inability to bring them under control may serve to complicate relations with regional neighbors.
Al-Qaida Leader Circulates Video; Dispels Rumor of His Death
By Kathy Gannon
Rumors of the death of Ayman al-Zawahri have persistently circulated, but a new video appears to dispel those rumors.
What is a Taliban Education System Truly Worth?
By Aulia Shifa Hamida
The reopening of universities in Afghanistan may not be the good news it seems on the surface.
Murky Militias in Forgotten Provinces Reveal Why Afghanistan War Isn’t Over
By Ben Acheson
Ghor can be viewed as a microcosm of the layered complexity of Afghanistan.
2021 in Asian Geopolitics: A Retrospective
By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
What were the major developments and events that drove geopolitical trends in Asia in 2021?
Examining the Taliban’s Words, Thoughts and Deeds, Part II: Hostage Diplomacy
By Mohammad Bashir Mobasher and Mohammad Qadam Shah
The Taliban are well-practiced at taking and using hostages. Now it’s a nation held hostage.
Examining the Taliban’s Words, Thoughts, and Deeds, Part I: The Myth of Taliban 2.0
By Mohammad Bashir Mobasher and Mohammad Qadam Shah
Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban have been on a PR blitz to re-brand for international audiences.