NYT: President Trump has betrayed the loyalty of Afghan refugees by conducting a mass crackdown against them. Shortly after taking office, he called into question the legal right for many of them to be in the United States. Click here to read more (external link).
Small Wars Journal: Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan’s regime faces deepening economic collapse, ethnic alienation, and persistent internal and external pressures. The United States now possesses an ideal opportunity to subvert Taliban rule and deny Afghanistan’s further usage as a terrorist safe haven. While the past quarter-century has seen overt investment
The Diplomat: Last week, as the Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid triumphantly declared 2025 “a year of diplomatic success,” the claim was received with predictable laud from the movement’s echo chambers. But to anyone observing Afghanistan with even minimal distance from the Taliban’s propaganda, the opposite is true. Far from consolidating power or gaining legitimacy, the
Amu: Pakistan’s military and intelligence establishment has long been accused of using proxy jihadist groups as tools of its foreign policy. From Kashmir to Afghanistan, Pakistani-backed terrorist groups have waged war in pursuit of Islamabad’s strategic goals. From the first Kashmir war, soon after independence, to the Taliban’s return in Kabul, the Pakistan behaviour has
8am: Why is drawing closer to Pakistan a poor idea for Taliban opponents at this moment, and why could trusting this process trap them in a game of double standards? Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Deportation policies lacking geopolitical foresight may satisfy short-term domestic demands but ultimately empower authoritarian regimes that thrive on instability and coercion. If the West continues to pursue a transactional approach, it risks unintentionally facilitating the normalization of the Taliban on the global stage at the cost of Afghanistan’s civil society and human values, and
Niloar Sakhi via FP: Recognizing Afghanistan’s extremist leaders will fuel radicalism. Nearly four years after the Taliban’s reconquest of Afghanistan, Moscow has formally recognized the Taliban regime as the legitimate government of Afghanistan—a move that has been welcomed by China. Moscow’s decision is an invitation for other states in the region, from China to India
8am: Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, millions have fled the country due to fear of retribution, systematic discrimination, widespread repression, poverty, and unemployment. This mass migration has triggered a profound crisis of individual and collective identity among the displaced. Those remaining in Afghanistan, struggling under the brutal oppression of the Taliban, hoped that
8am: Now, nearly four years into the Taliban’s rule, occasional physical and virtual meetings on Afghan affairs are held. Alongside these, alliances and forums have emerged, composed primarily of Mujahideen leaders, former government officials, and individuals who directly intervened in Afghanistan’s politics over the past twenty years. Much like in the past, these alliances lack
8am: The purpose of this short piece is to challenge these deceptive and populist portrayals and to encourage my fellow citizens not to accept or internalize these misleading narratives. In what follows, I aim to dissect the Taliban’s security claims and untangle the knots of misinformation that have clouded public understanding. Click here to read