Taliban Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid on Tuesday urged regional and global powers not to pursue “ill intentions” toward Afghanistan, saying the Taliban “government” seeks good relations based on Islamic principles. Speaking at a ceremony marking Afghanistan’s Independence Day, Yaqoob said the Taliban do not want Afghanistan to become an arena for confrontation between major powers such as the United […]

Taliban are set to host a trilateral meeting with China and Pakistan in Kabul on Wednesday, August 20, sources familiar with the matter said. The sources told Amu that Pakistan’s foreign minister has accepted the Taliban’s invitation and will attend the talks, accompanied by Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq. Pakistani media outlet The Nation also reported that the […]

As a citizen of Afghanistan, I gaze upon my homeland with a heavy heart, burdened by the shadows of terrorism that continue to eclipse our hopes for peace and prosperity. The resurgence of extremist groups under the Taliban’s rule has not only shattered the fragile stability we yearned for after decades of conflict but has also exported chaos to our […]

In the past 25 years, India and the United States have become closer than ever before, building strong economic and strategic ties. Their partnership has rested on shared values and shared interests: they are the two largest democracies in the world, home to vast multicultural populations, and both have been concerned about the rise of India’s northern neighbor, China. But […]

American companies are world leaders in technology—be it innovative software, cloud services, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity products. Yet beginning as many as three years ago, hackers believed to be backed by the Chinese government did something the United States, the tech powerhouse, could not adequately defend against: they gained and maintained access to major U.S. telecommunications networks, copying conversations and […]

Two certainties have emerged after seven months of Donald Trump’s control of America’s national security policy. First of all, there is no comprehensive national security policy and no likely candidate in the administration for formulating and managing a comprehensive policy. Second, the greatest challenge in the national security arena is China—the most important bilateral policy in the entire global arena—and […]

Executive Summary This report examines the Taliban-led Afghan government’s decision to launch a $10 billion energy infrastructure project with Azizi Energy. The initiative seeks to build 10,000 megawatts of electricity capacity in the next ten years to lessen reliance on imported energy and meet domestic needs. It also has political aims, such as increasing control within the country and seeking […]

For more than a decade, Chinese politics has been defined by one man: Xi Jinping. Since Xi assumed leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, he has made himself into a strongman ruler. He has remade the CCP elite through a wide-ranging purge and corruption crackdown. He has curbed civil society and suppressed dissent. He has reorganized and modernized […]

Bottom Line Up Front Chinese infrastructure investments throughout Europe have the potential to pose a strategic risk to the West, not just the countries where the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is spreading its economic and geopolitical influence, but also to Europe’s allies, including the U.S. Chinese ownership and investment in ports highlights the impact and influence that Beijing has, […]

Rescue operations are ongoing to find dozens more missing, local authorities say. At least 68 refugees and migrants have died and 74 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the United Nations migration agency. Abdusattor Esoev, head of the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, told The Associated Press news agency […]