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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 …
March, 2023
January, 2023
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12 January
Afghanistan’s Taliban Reportedly Have Control of US Biometric Devices
n the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul and the ouster of the Afghan national government in August 2021, alarming reports indicated that the insurgents had potentially accessed biometric data collected by the U.S. to track Afghans, including people who worked for U.S. and coalition forces. Afghans who once supported the U.S. have been attempting to hide or destroy …
August, 2022
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7 August
Afghanistan: Assassination of Al-Zawahiri Reveals Tensions Within the Taliban
For Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri’s death may have dire implications. Accusations of cooperating with the Americans will affect the already divided Taliban leadership – which could lead to bitter internecine fighting within it. And the presence of a terrorist as prominent as al-Zawahiri supposedly under the protection of senior Taliban cadres will not help US-Taliban relations. It is a direct breach of the Doha accords.
July, 2022
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13 July
In Afghanistan, a Quiet Epidemic of Mass Psychogenic Illness
Reliable statistics on anything are hard to come by in Afghanistan, but Human Rights Watch estimates that depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress affect half of Afghanistan’s population.
June, 2022
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29 June
Earthquake Poses Test of US Resistance to the Taliban
Will the administration take additional steps to help Afghanistan or sit on the sidelines because it won’t recognize the government?
January, 2022
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11 January
Afghanistan Resumes Pine Nuts Export to China
The annual output of pine nuts in Afghanistan is around 20,000 tons, with an export volume of $800 million. It also creates jobs for more than 100,000 locals.
August, 2021
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23 August
Western Allegiance to Majoritarian Rule on Trial
Will the West sanction Afghanistan even if the Taliban and other stakeholders manage to cobble together a mutually inclusive and acceptable government comprising representatives of women and all ethnic groups from across Afghanistan?
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9 August
Can China Spearhead Peace in Afghanistan?
What can Beijing do to contain the spiral of violence and prevent the region from sliding into a protracted phase of instability? Pakistan's leading analyst Imtiaz Gul sheds light on the possibilities in an open letter to the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
July, 2021
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10 July
Why Does Russia See No Problem with Taliban Victories?
Moscow has downplayed concerns about the dramatic insurgent advances and said these advances don't threaten the stability of neighboring Central Asian states and Moscow’s regional security interests.
June, 2021
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12 June
Feelers from Kabul: Unease, Fear and Gloom
Afghans are disheartened by their leadership – both President Ghani and the Taliban. The common perception is that the Afghan leadership has squandered the opportunity in the intra-Afghan peace talks to resolve the conflict by stubbornly sticking to their respective positions.
