When Insurgents Become Governments: From Rebellion to Rule

When Insurgents Become Governments: From Rebellion to Rule

This SAT X Space explored how insurgent groups shift from rebellion to rule, comparing the Taliban’s rigid governance in Afghanistan with Syria’s fragmented but evolving post-insurgent landscape, and assessing regional security implications.

Extractive Rule and Ethnic Fault Lines in Afghanistan

Extractive Rule and Ethnic Fault Lines in Afghanistan

The halt of gold mining in Badakhshan reveals deeper fault lines in Taliban rule, where centralized extractive ambitions collide with ethnic grievances, local resistance, and fragile investor confidence, particularly involving China.

The Revival of Ethnic Engineering in Northern Afghanistan

The Revival of Ethnic Engineering in Northern Afghanistan

The reported TTP attack in Takhar is not an isolated security incident but part of a deeper historical pattern of ethnic engineering in northern Afghanistan. Tracing its roots to 19th-century state-building policies, the article examines how militant proxies, demographic displacement, and settler strategies are once again reshaping Tajik-majority regions under Taliban rule.

A Fugitive Insurgency

A Fugitive Insurgency

The TTP’s 2025 report projects an image of renewed strength and nationwide reach. In reality, it reflects a border-bound, fugitive insurgency using inflated statistics and psychological warfare to mask sustained pressure from Pakistan’s intelligence-led counter-terrorism campaign and the regional impact of instability in Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s Purge of Former Afghan Officials

The Taliban’s Purge of Former Afghan Officials

The killing of General Akramuddin Saree in Tehran signals that the Taliban’s campaign against former Afghan officials has gone transnational. It reveals a dark convergence of Taliban intelligence operations and regional transactional politics that sacrifice political exiles for short-term stability.

Dancing on the Heads of Snakes

Dancing on the Heads of Snakes

As 2025 ends, Yemen’s anti-Houthi coalition collapses. The Saudi-UAE split leaves rival militias and foreign powers vying for control, deepening the humanitarian crisis.