On Feb. 18 and 19, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened a meeting in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the “evolving situation” in Afghanistan and future engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban declined an invitation to the meeting after the U.N. refused their conditions, including recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Guterres reported that the […]

On February 21, 2024, renowned Russian academic Sergey Karaganov published an analysis, titled “An Age of Wars? Article Two. What Is to be Done,” which is the second part of an article published a month earlier in the same media outlet, Russia in Global Affairs.[1] In the following analysis, Karaganov stressed that Russia needs a new comprehensive national Siberian strategy, […]

U.S. investors and businesses remain wary of the business climate in China amid an economic slowdown and crackdown on the private sector. Chinese President Xi Jinping is using his first trip to the U.S. in six years to try and lure back American investors and businesses spooked by his country’s authoritarian turn. But despite a warm response from U.S. business […]

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in response to the Russian Defense Minister’s remarks that Afghanistan is a threat to the countries of Central Asia, that since the IEA’s takeover, the territory of Afghanistan has been of no threat to any Central Asian country, and such statements and opinions are not in the interests of any party. “No foreign […]

On the last day of his visit to Turkmenistan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow for talks on a number of issues. Muttaqi presented information to Turkmenistan’s leader about security, stability and new opportunities for investment in Afghanistan. Muttaqi thanked Berdimuhamedow for paying special attention to […]

This spring, India is scheduled to hold its 18th general election. Surveys suggest that the incumbent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is very likely to win a third term in office. That triumph will further underline Modi’s singular stature. He bestrides the country like a colossus, and he promises Indians that they, too, are rising in the world. And yet the […]

In the tumultuous landscape of global politics, Pakistan finds itself at a crucial crossroads, grappling with the challenges of an unstable political environment. As the nation charts its course forward, it faces a myriad of complexities that demand careful consideration and strategic decisions for a sustainable future. One of the key factors influencing Pakistan’s near future is the internal political […]

India is going through a phenomenal transformation politically, socially, and religiously. It is exciting. But it is also scarry and quite different than the popular image of a Nehru-Gandhi’s India. On February 14, 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a $95 million temple in Abu Dhabi on 27 acres of land that is donated by President Sheikh Mohammad bin […]

In 2023, Hunan TV, China’s second-most-watched television channel, unveiled a series called When Marx Met Confucius. The conceit was literal: actors playing the two thinkers—Confucius dressed in a tan robe and Karl Marx in a black suit and a leonine white wig—met at the Yuelu Academy, a thousand-year-old school renowned for its role in developing Confucian philosophy. Over five episodes, […]

In January 2024, Chinese president Xi Jinping accepted the credentials of the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) to China. And in September 2023 China was the first country to name a new ambassador to the Islamic Emirate since August 2021. Today, over a dozen countries maintain diplomatic representation in Kabul, though none have formally recognized the […]