Taliban
The Failure of Nonviolence in Afghanistan
“Letter from Kabul” is a newsletter in which our contributors provide their own unique glimpses into life on the ground in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.To read them first, sign up to our…
Inheriting the Afghan Jihad
Jihad has long been a family tradition in households across Afghanistan; it’s a rite of passage that has little to do with international terrorism and everything to do with honor and a very particular sense of justice.
The Mysterious Public Appearances of the Taliban’s Supreme Leader
This “Letter from Kabul” is part of a new offering by New Lines. Our contributors provide their own unique glimpses into life on the ground in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Today’s segment looks at two rare public appearances by the Taliban’s supreme leader. To read them first, sign up to our newsletter.…
Is This the Future of Taliban Rule?
The reality of life in Afghanistan almost four months since the movement’s fighters took control is more complex than many reports suggest, especially those on polarized social media platforms. A mood of anxiety and uncertainty prevails, amid a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by a U.S.-led embargo that could leave millions starving this winter.
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 Façade of the Afghan Jihad
To this small but influential number of Muslims in Europe and the U.S., Afghanistan is not really a country, but a mythical canvas onto which they can paint their own hopes and dreams.
Kabul University’s New Chancellor Promises an Updated Taliban Outlook
The new generation of Taliban are a product of their times: more open to the prospect of gradual social change than their forebears, yet politically more militant. Many of them played important roles in a war that killed tens of thousands of Afghans but, as they point out, they too lost friends and family along the way.