Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has frozen refugee admissions and foreign aid, part of twin promises to reduce migration (both legal and illegal) to the United States and cut supposed government waste. However, those policies have combined to sever an already thin lifeline for an extremely vulnerableContinue Reading
Uyghur separatist groups have consistently supported the Taliban in their two-decade-long fight for control of Afghanistan, but increased Chinese presence in the country is altering the status quo with significant risk for Beijing The Taliban have long provided members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), also known as theContinue Reading
On March 4, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution establishing a U.N. Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, Kazakhstan. This initiative, first proposed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly in 2019,Continue Reading
On March 4, 2025, the German Federal government convened a civil society consultation to discuss Afghanistan’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This consultation was part of broader international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable for severe violations of women’s rights. Continue Reading
The prolonged absence of key figures in the Taliban regime — acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, acting Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar and acting Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai — from Afghanistan underscores that the rift between the Taliban’s Kandahari and Haqqani factions has assumed serious proportions.Continue Reading
When President Ashraf Ghani fled from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the Taliban took control of Kabul, the Americans were suddenly surrounded by victorious Taliban who now marched proudly on the streets of Kabul with newly captured U.S. tanks and weapons. The disastrous withdrawal of U.S. forces and evacuation ofContinue Reading
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur recently said that a provincial Jirga, comprising tribal elders, has been formed to hold talks with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to discuss security and trade issues. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led KP government’s initiative has come under fire from the PakistanContinue Reading
The Doha Agreement between the Taliban and the United States was signed on Saturday, February 29, 2020. I was supposed to be off that day, but I came to work anyway. How could I stay at home? History was unfolding before my eyes. The signing of the Doha Agreement, whichContinue Reading
Although China has not yet officially recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, it has been steadily deepening ties with them. Its efforts to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties have intensified in recent months. On October 24, 2024, Beijing’s envoy to Kabul expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan while pledging tariffContinue Reading
Good times, as they say, don’t last forever, especially when the achievements have been force-managed. For nearly three years, a Taliban ban on poppy cultivation has been in place in Afghanistan. In April 2022, eight months after assuming power, the Islamic Emirate announced a ban on all types of narcotics.Continue Reading
