Afghanistan
Refugees, Minerals and Security
Following a minerals deal between the Trump administration and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a separate plan has emerged to relocate America’s Afghan allies to the African country — not to the U.S. The move has sparked protests in Kinshasa and could set a precedent for outsourcing asylum obligations.
Enemy of My Enemy
India’s growing engagement with the Taliban reflects the shifting geopolitical realities of the region, while Pakistan — once a favored ally of the group — appears to be losing influence.
The Women Helping the Afghan Refugee Community Connect with Literature and Culture in Delhi
In Delhi, two Afghan women are teaching the Dari language to children of fellow refugees, born far from their homeland. Beyond the needs of survival, they insist, refugees deserve beauty, joy and connection to their cultural heritage.
The Kabul Airport Bombing’s Afterlife as a Diplomatic Prop
The arrest of a supposed “mastermind” behind the Kabul airport bombing has reduced the deadliest attack of the War in Afghanistan to a diplomatic prop. While the Taliban claim to fight the Islamic State group, and U.S. leaders tout symbolic victories, ordinary Afghans sift the rubble of shifting narratives.
In the Afghan Capital, the Economic Desperation Is Palpable
Acts of quiet desperation are a feature of daily life here in Kabul this winter. Although they may not grab the headlines like the suicide bombings of the Islamic State group or the latest proclamations of the Taliban, they too are expressions of a certain kind of politics.
The Long Shadow of Deobandism in South Asia
The new Taliban government in Afghanistan represents the realization of the 155-year-old Deobandi movement’s objective of establishing a regime led by religious scholars. Over this time, and possibly much like the Taliban today, these religious clerics oscillated between jihadism and pragmatic politics.
Ex-Saudi Intelligence Head Weighs In on Afghanistan
The closest Prince Turki al-Faisal comes to expressing regret is when he writes that he and his American counterparts might have been too focused on the immediate aim of winning the war in Afghanistan, rather than the potential long-term consequences of their actions.