8am: Over the past five years, the United States has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize the Taliban regime in its current form and structure, and that establishing ties with the group, even on a limited scale, is not on its agenda. The Taliban, on the other hand, are eager for friendship with the
8am: These days, debate over whether “the war in Afghanistan is an ethnic war” has intensified. On social media, this debate is sometimes accompanied by strong emotions and sharp reactions, to the point that a political or military event is quickly attributed to a single ethnic group, and responsibility for the behavior of individuals or
8am: In other words, the Taliban have serious weaknesses, but their opponents lack the capacity to exploit them. The Taliban fear every internal uprising, yet their opponents cannot transform these uprisings into a coordinated national movement. The Taliban are unpopular in the north, yet their opponents have failed to convert that discontent into lasting popular
8am: Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid was a devoted foot soldier of the Taliban. He was also non-Pashtun and an outsider within the group’s regime. Unlike many others, he was not an unquestioning follower of the Taliban Supreme Leader’s decisions, and in some instances he acted as a rights-seeker, making decisions regarding the territory under his authority
The Express Tribune (Pakistan): Afghanistan’s deepest struggle is not foreign invasion, but building an inclusive state across ethnic fault lines – Genuine decentralisation, equitable representation and constitutional safeguards for minority rights could help ease the zero-sum competition for control of Kabul. When power is overly concentrated, every political shift becomes existential. When authority is shared,
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).