On February 3, 2024, the Afghan Taliban’s state-owned Pashtu-language newspaper “Hewad Daily” published an interview with Husam Badran, the spokesman of Hamas, in which he said that the defeat of the U.S. and NATO forces by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) in 2021 as well as similar experiences against occupation forces in other countries such […]

The ‘Realist’ school of thought rests in the idea that states are only ever bothered about issues that concern them – and therefore are more inclined towards pursuing their self-interest. These ‘National interests’ are a complex blend of historical, geopolitical, and strategic factors that shape their foreign policies. A case in point is the longstanding conflict between India and Pakistan […]