ViewsWeek Views from around the world
Going by the warlike history of the region, journalism and the fixer within it become “short term slavery” in the service of relentless imperialist forces that have long kept the region unstable.
September, 2023
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19 September
US Policy of ‘Pragmatic Engagement’ Risks Legitimatizing Taliban Rule
The Biden administration has a choice: Try to keep the Doha deal alive by pressuring the Taliban into intra-Afghan talks, or accept that the deal is now dead. Either way, “pragmatic engagement” with the Taliban has shown itself to be wanting.
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2 September
U.S.-Pakistan Diplomacy: Balancing Defense Ties Amid Democratic Dilemmas
Should Ogles’ amendment gain traction and ultimately pass, it stands to overshadow the intentions and potential benefits of the CIS-MOA. Such an outcome would stress the intricacies and nuances of international diplomacy, showcasing how geopolitical strategies and the pursuit of democratic values can sometimes clash, mostly to the detriment of a country like Pakistan.
August, 2023
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17 August
Why Afghanistan Still Poses a Threat to the Region and Beyond
Two years on from taking control of Afghanistan the Taliban continues to rule through fear and threatens the stability of the whole region.
July, 2023
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12 July
Ambitious Solar Project to Join String of Coal Plants in Pakistan’s Thar District
UK-based Oracle Power tells The Third Pole about a new solar project in the Thar desert, where the company is already exploring coal, as locals express skepticism about tall promises.
June, 2023
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22 June
Locust Outbreak in Afghanistan Threatens Major Food Crisis
For nearly 30 years, Mullah Khan Mohammad has worked his family’s land in Surkh Kotal – near the great archaeological site of the same name – in Baghlan province. Baghlan, in northern Afghanistan, is known as the country’s breadbasket due to its significant wheat production. “Since we returned [in the early 1990s, after the Soviet-Afghanistan war], we have been cultivating …
May, 2023
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25 May
Explainer: A Historical Trail of Pakistan’s Powerful Military Enterprise
akistan’s former military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa declared at the end of his tenure the military would no longer meddle in politics. However, the recent arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan – once seen as the “army’s blue-eyed boy” – and the army’s intention to prosecute civilian protesters under military laws proves the men in uniform are still …
April, 2023
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30 April
What Would it Take to Recognize the Taliban?
ince the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, speculation has been rife over whether the group would achieve the global recognition that has long eluded it. Early on, analysts predicted that in a quest for legitimacy, a reformed Taliban, whose rhetoric promised a modern and moderate approach to governance, would honor basic human rights and prevent Afghanistan from again becoming …
March, 2023
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31 March
Explaining the Resurgence of Terrorist Violence in Pakistan
s Pakistan reliving the scary specter of 2013? It may be — the last quarter of 2022 set the tone for the ensuing months, with December ending off the year as the deadliest month for Pakistan’s security forces in over a decade. Around 282 military and police personnel were among the 973 total fatalities in 2022. At the center of …
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14 March
Confronting Climate Change — and the Taliban — in Afghanistan
his past December, a fleet of colorful swan-shaped boats lined the muddy banks of Qargha Lake, a reservoir on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. The boats’ owner, 50-year-old Shah Maqsoud Habibi, said his business has vanished, along with much of the lake, a once popular weekend destination for war weary Afghans. Over the past few years, a series of droughts …
