Themes - South Asia Times

Centralized Power and the Core–Periphery Divide in Afghanistan

SAT Editorial Desk November 7, 2025

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s return in 2021 brought rapid consolidation of power, but also the revival of a historical flaw. By concentrating authority in the hands of southern Pashtun elites, the Taliban have recreated the core–periphery divide that has destabilized every Afghan regime since the 19th century. This hyper-centralization, rooted in ethnic exclusivity and Kandahar dominance, risks a repeat of past collapses as non-Pashtun regions turn toward functional autonomy.

Broken Promises: The Taliban’s Betrayal of Global Commitments

SAT Editorial Desk November 6, 2025

Nearly three years after seizing power, the Taliban’s systematic violation of their international commitments under the 2020 Doha Accord has transformed Afghanistan into a sanctuary for terrorism, entrenched an autocratic regime, and institutionalized gender apartheid. Beyond moral failure, this deceit poses a grave threat to regional stability, international counterterrorism efforts, and the credibility of global diplomacy. Holding the regime accountable is now a strategic necessity, not a choice.

India’s Climate Policy after COP28: Net Zero 2070 — A Fair Promise or a Risky Postponement?

Manya Singhal November 4, 2025

India’s Net Zero 2070 target reflects a delicate balance between development equity and climate urgency. While progress in renewables, green finance, and adaptation is visible, the absence of clear interim milestones risks turning ambition into delay. The real challenge lies in translating a distant horizon into measurable, near-term climate action before 2030.

Playing the Victim: How the Taliban Endorse and Amplify Online Propaganda Against Pakistan

SAT Commentary November 3, 2025

Following the October 2025 border clashes, the Taliban have shifted their battlefield online, using propaganda, selective history, and digital disinformation to paint Pakistan as the aggressor. Through controlled media releases, colonial-era references, and victimhood narratives, Kabul seeks to manipulate regional perception and deflect blame for its own failures.

The Terrorist Ecosystem

SAT Editorial Desk November 3, 2025

“The critical evidence was not that he was in Afghanistan, but where. Al-Zawahiri was not hiding…He was living comfortably in a safe house…This location, teeming with Taliban security, implies high-level protection, not an intelligence failure.”

Zabihullah Mujahid’s Rhetoric and the Reality of Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations

SAT Editorial Desk November 2, 2025

Recent statements by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid attempt to shift blame for strained Pakistan-Afghanistan ties onto Islamabad. Yet the real source of tension lies in Kabul’s refusal to dismantle terror networks like the TTP and BLA operating freely from Afghan soil—a failure that continues to endanger regional peace and Pakistan’s security.

Pakistan’s Doctrine of Verifiable Peace: Realism in the Face of Proxy Politics

Farwa Imtiaz October 31, 2025

Pakistan’s Doctrine of Verifiable Peace represents a major shift from fraternal idealism to strategic realism in South Asia’s volatile security landscape. Rooted in classical realist thought, the doctrine emphasizes verification over trust, deterrence over sentiment, and conditional diplomacy over blind faith. Confronting the twin challenges of cross-border militancy and Indian-backed proxy networks in Afghanistan, Islamabad now seeks peace that is enforceable, monitored, and verifiable, anchoring regional stability on responsibility, not rhetoric.

When Insurgents Rule: The Taliban’s Crisis of Governance

SAT Editorial Desk October 30, 2025

The Taliban’s confrontation with Pakistan reveals a deeper failure at the heart of their rule: an insurgent movement incapable of governing the state it conquered. Bound by rigid ideology and fractured by internal rivalries, the Taliban have turned their military victory into a political and economic collapse, exposing the limits of ruling through insurgent logic.

The Great Unknotting: America’s Tech Break with China, and the Return of the American System

Emir J. Phillips October 29, 2025

As the U.S. unwinds decades of technological interdependence with China, a new industrial and strategic order is emerging. Through selective decoupling, focused on chips, AI, and critical supply chains, Washington aims to restore domestic manufacturing, secure data sovereignty, and revive the Hamiltonian vision of national self-reliance. This is not isolationism but a recalibration of globalization on America’s terms.

Inside the Istanbul Talks: How Taliban Factionalism Killed a Peace Deal

SAT Editorial Desk October 28, 2025

The collapse of the Turkiye-hosted talks to address the TTP threat was not a diplomatic failure but a calculated act of sabotage from within the Taliban regime. Deep factional divides—between Kandahar, Kabul, and Khost blocs—turned mediation into chaos, as Kabul’s power players sought to use the TTP issue as leverage for U.S. re-engagement and financial relief. The episode exposed a regime too fractured and self-interested to act against terrorism or uphold sovereignty.