Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows no sign of a peaceful conclusion. Meanwhile, the world remains focused on Israel’s war on Gaza. Sometimes it seems that policymakers have all but forgotten about Afghanistan. After taking power more than two years ago, the Taliban have learned that resisting is much easier than governing. There is a nationwide shortage of basic medical supplies. […]

The growing convergence of India and the United States’ (US) perspectives on the Middle East is one of the main signals from the fifth iteration of the ‘two plus two’ meeting on 10 November 2023 in New Delhi. The defence and foreign ministers of the two countries were unambiguous in condemning Hamas terror, emphasising Israel’s right to self-defence while observing […]

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has condemned the United States imposing sanctions against two of its officials, saying sanctioning is not the solution to any problem. Fariduddin Mahmood, head of the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences, and Khalid Hanafi, acting minister for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice, were on Friday sanctioned by the US Treasury Department over […]

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the caretaker government has eradicated corruption in all government institutions and efforts are underway to eradicate corruption in non-governmental sectors as well. Marking International Anti-Corruption Day in Kabul, Mujahid said: “While corruption is close to zero, in the lower levels maybe unworthy people commit corruption, but the struggle is still ongoing.” “But the […]

In addition to plunging the Middle East back into turmoil, the Israel-Gaza crisis has resulted in entities around the world seeking to exploit the palpable tensions, and has even led some young Americans to re-evaluate al-Qaeda’s past comments on Palestine. At the same time, the global jihadist group itself is showing concerning signs of revival, having found refuge in Afghanistan […]

Had Deng Xiaoping not sought and received advice from Japan and Singapore in his creation of ‘socialism with Japanese and Singaporean characteristics’, China’s economic miracle would have been less miraculous. China’s current economic woes stem largely from Xi Jinping’s abandonment of this paradigm. When Mao Zedong died in 1976, China was the second poorest among 140 countries. Deng Xiaoping proclaimed […]

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) serves as a powerful symbol of the burgeoning alliance between China and Pakistan. This ambitious venture, born under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has not only elevated economic collaboration but has also left an indelible mark on their broader bilateral relations. Positioned as the “flagship project” of the BRI, CPEC envisions an intricate network […]

Conflict zones in the Middle East (West Asia) and Afghanistan are becoming rallying points for foreign fighters driven by jihadi fervour. Even in Gaza, where geographical and political particularities inhibit boots on the ground, it has not diminished their intent or agency. This mirrors earlier situations in Chechnya as well as in Syria-Iraqand Afghanistan itself, where thousands of ideologically indoctrinated […]

Why Would New Delhi Risk So Much for So Little? On November 29, the U.S. Department of Justice made a startling announcement: an Indian government official had tried to assassinate a U.S. citizen on American soil. According to the DOJ, the official offered to pay $100,000 for a hit man to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—an activist who has called for […]

Pakistan has started repatriations that could force millions of Afghans back to their crisis-wracked home country. As Crisis Group expert Ibraheem Bahiss explains in this Q&A, the policy could bring further trouble to the region, notwithstanding Islamabad’s efforts to justify itself on security grounds. What is happening on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border? On 3 October, Pakistan’s caretaker government announced it would […]