More than four million children in Afghanistan are expected to need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2027 as the country faces the highest levels recorded for the period, according to a new assessment conducted by UN agencies, humanitarian organizations and other partners.
The fact that Russia arming the Taliban is now a plausible scenario speaks to each side’s pragmatism in moving beyond their difficult Soviet-era past in pursuit of mutual interests.
The visit of Russia’s foreign spy chief to Kabul could presage Russia arming the Taliban against ISIS-K, the scenario of which has sparked panic among the Pakistani commentariat, especially anonymous Pakistani accounts on social media (“trolls”). There’s now a coordinated disinfo campaign underway between them and “NAFO” to respectively smear the Taliban and Russia as having sold out to their former foes. The reality is that this would meet both of their interests. Here are five reasons why Russia should do it:
More than 492,000 Afghans have been deported from Iran since the beginning of 2026, accounting for 85% of all Afghan returns from the country this year, according to new figures from the UN refugee agency.
In a report published Thursday, UNHCR said 581,600 Afghans returned from Iran between Jan. 1 and Oct. 3, including 492,300 who were deported. Another 89,300 returned through other means.
The Taliban and “other armed groups” in Afghanistan unlawfully recruit and use children in combat and support roles, with some children used to plant explosives, carry weapons, conduct surveillance and guard bases, the US State Department says in its 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report.
Introduction
L’idée de «combattre» la Chine dans la fabrication mondiale de produits finis est aujourd’hui largement illusoire. La Chine n’est plus seulement l’«Usine du monde» : elle est devenue une superpuissance industrielle intégrée, dotée d’un écosystème complet, d’une capacité d’innovation croissante et de leviers de pression sur les chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales. Les tentatives de découplage ou de «dé-risquage» menées par les États-Unis, l’Union européenne et d’autres acteurs se heurtent à des réalités structurelles qui rendent toute stratégie de confrontation directe extrêmement coûteuse et incertaine.
The Trump-Xi summit did not mark a US-China rapprochement, but it demonstrates that sustained diplomacy and strategic guardrails are essential to prevent intensifying competition from becoming direct conflict.
The recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Washington has demonstrated a significant paradox in contemporary international politics: the two superpowers remain strategic competitors, yet neither side could afford to let their rivalry spiral into confrontation. The Trump administration welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping, on his first state visit to Washington in more than a decade, with significant diplomatic warmth, but the substantive disagreements over diverse issues separating the two powers remain largely intact.
Relations between Turkey and Russia have always been one of the most intriguing scenarios in the Great Game.
The leaders of the two countries maintain frequent contacts and “hotlines,” foreign ministries regularly consult on the situation in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and bilateral trade and energy cooperation continue to develop. However, under this wrapper of “friendly cooperation,” Ankara is moving along a long-established historical path—the path of the pan-Turkic dream and the expansion of regional influence. And this path, no matter how much Turkey declares it “non-confrontational,” inevitably collides with Russia’s strategic interests.
When I think about the journey of heroin from its source to a European market, I don’t picture a criminal mastermind directing a supply chain from beginning to end.
What I see instead is a farmer, then a transporter, a courier and perhaps a broker who moves the drugs only as far as the next village. Another broker might get them across a border, after which a gang takes over one stretch of the journey before handing it to another. By the time the heroin arrives in Europe, still more people may be responsible for moving it to wherever it eventually ends up.
September 27, 2024 – The deadly pager attack in Lebanon has sparked global concerns over supply chain security. Chinese international relations scholar Shen Yi stated that China should take some measures in response to the U.S.’s increasingly aggressive stance in the strategic competition with China.
Key Takeaways:
An RFE/RL analysis says Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) are more tightly linked since the Afghan Taliban returned to power, with AQ helping TTP strategy, training, and media as attacks into Pakistan rise. A May checkpoint attack in northwest Pakistan killed 21.
UN monitors and some researchers describe practical and public AQ backing for TTP (including an April Al-Sahab statement), plus alleged help for other outfits (BLA, IMP/AQIS). Kabul is said to have given sanctuary and ID cards to several groups. Experts disagree: Abdul Sayed calls the AQ–TTP operational bond a “myth” and says TTP influence from AQ has faded since 2014.