South East Asia

Two Years Under the Taliban: Is Afghanistan a Terrorist Safe Haven Once Again?

The Taliban have enabled some terrorist groups and reined in others, elevating longstanding concerns for U.S. policy.

Two years into Taliban rule, the question of whether Afghanistan would once again become a safe haven for international terrorism remains alive. Longstanding fears were affirmed a little over a year ago, when the U.S. government located al-Qaeda leader Aimen al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan, before killing him in a drone strike. The fact that the Taliban would bring Zawahiri back to Kabul, despite repeated assurances to U.S. negotiators both before and after the Doha agreement that they had distanced themselves from al-Qaeda, significantly elevated concerns.

The west destroyed Africa, Eurasia will revive it

Africa’s renaissance is already underway through partnerships with Eurasian powers Russia and China, whose significant contributions are already visible in security, economic, and institutional sectors throughout the continent.

In Africa, injustice looms large, marked by poverty, warfare, and famine. Despite post-WWII political gains, economic independence, a vital component of true freedom as envisioned by Pan African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and Haile Selassie, remains elusive.

China Continues To Deepen Its Political Influence In Georgia – Analysis

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s recent visit to China and his meeting with President Xi Jinping heralded the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Georgia. Garibashvili called his visit historic. Moreover, he expressed Tbilisi’s willingness to deepen its relationship with Beijing and support all the global projects—the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Global Civilizational Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative—China is invested in to reshape international rules and norms and revise the world order.

Pakistan’s interim government: A challenging road ahead

Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day, on Aug. 14, was marked by an undercurrent of challenges. The 16-month rule of the 13-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government concluded, making way for a new technocratic caretaker administration tasked with overseeing upcoming general elections. However, this power transition is not as straightforward as it seems. The appointment of the new caretaker government has created uncertainty, raising doubts about whether Pakistan will smoothly transition to another democratic government or if the caretaker setup will exceed its constitutional mandate.

ISKP And Afghan Taliban – OpEd

The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is considered a threat to Afghan Taliban and their governance in Afghanistan. ISKP is an affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS) that primarily operates in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Its presence and activities posed several challenges to Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban and ISKP have different ideological and strategic goals. While the Taliban seeks to establish an Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan and has primarily focused on Afghanistan, ISKP aims to establish a global caliphate and has a more expansionist agenda. This ideological difference led to conflicts and competition for influence in the region.

Afghanistan’s Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis: An Urgent Call For International Action – OpEd

Afghanistan remains in the grip of multiple crises, with its humanitarian situation worsening by the day. A recent report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reveals the alarming scale of the crisis, with over 70 percent of the Afghan population—approximately 29.2 million people—in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

The Notion Of Jihad? Ideological Rift Between TTP, ISKP, And IEA Over Fatwa – OpEd

There has been a noticeable rift between the Tekhrek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA) for quite some time, and the causes are not political but ideological.

The IEA has fought against external interference, whereas the TTP, influenced by al-Qaeda, adheres to Takfiri ideology and pursues expansionist objectives. This fundamental ideological difference has resulted in the TTP and Islamic State of Khurasan Province (ISKP) being perceived as natural allies, as they share an identical point of view. However, it should be noted that both factions’ activities have only contributed to increased bloodshed and instability in the region.

When Will Washington Make Central Asia A Priority? – Analysis

The American filmmaker Woody Allen said, ““Eighty percent of success is showing up.” If he is correct, America is not succeeding in Central Asia.

But the rulers of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and China, Xi Jinping, leave nothing to chance: Xj has visited every one of the republics and has been to Kazakhstan four times and Uzbekistan three times; Putin has visited Kazakhstan twenty-seven times (the countries share a 7,644-kilometre border), and has been to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at least a dozen times each.

How Countries Prepare for Population Growth and Decline

In early 2023, India surpassed China as the most populous country in the world with the latter having 850,000 fewer people by the end of 2022—marking the country’s first population decline since famine struck from 1959 to 1961. While this reduction may seem modest considering China’s 1.4 billion population currently, an ongoing decline is anticipated, with UN projections suggesting that China’s population could dwindle to below 800 million by 2100.

China’s Provocative Cartographic Moves: Unpacking Geopolitical Fallout Of Controversial New Map – Analysis

In a move that has reverberated across the international stage, China released a new map on August 29, 2023, following the BRICS meeting held in South Africa. This seemingly innocuous act of cartography has far-reaching geopolitical implications, as it asserts China’s territorial claims over several disputed areas, unsettling not only its neighbors but also the delicate balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region.