US and Afghanistan: Old Foes, New Times
Recent talks between the US and Taliban officials offer a glimpse of hope for renewed engagement between the two countries, but existing fissures will demand greater effort and transformed strategies to cultivate durable peace.
Caught in Limbo: Afghan Students in India
As 2500 Afghan students await Indian visas, it is crucial to ask whether transnational relations are relatively stronger for some communities than others, and perhaps if doubts can be cast after all on India\’s feelings for Afghans.
India in Afghanistan: Friend or Frenemy?
Despite ideological fissures between a deeply Islamophobic polity of India and the ‘Islamic Emirate’ of Afghanistan, as well as the specter of a troubled past, signs of rapprochement between the two are on the horizon. But at what cost?
UNGA 77th: Discourse on Afghanistan
Silence from Afghanistan at the UNGA session for the second consecutive year inspired leaders from a few other states to ensure the country was mentioned. Accorded a varied reception, the remarks reflect distinct national perceptions of, and interests in Afghanistan.
The Question of Girls Education in Afghanistan
The Taliban regime\’s vagueness on the subject of reopening girls\’ high schools despite repeated promises reflects poorly on their image as an evolved group. The ongoing dilemma may very well be a watershed moment in their legitimacy and viability as rulers of post-war Afghanistan.
The Taliban Recognition Conundrum
For all the lip service paid to ‘world peace, the Western governments, in particular, must reflect on whether subjecting Afghanistan to a diplomatic vacuum would win them any favors in the long run.
Foreign Policy 2. 0 and Afghan Taliban
In contrast to its hawkish foreign policy in the 1990s which earned the Taliban the ire of the International community, this time, they sound more dovish in their foreign policy approach which is well illustrated in the organization’s dealing with major powers and with those neighboring countries with whom the Taliban were at odds in the 1990s.
Taliban-Qatar Security Pact: A Reflection
Taliban-Qatar security cooperation – the deal could have been sealed with any other country, but the Taliban opted for Qatar, the country with whom the Taliban had historical relations, and also enjoy a neutral status while being the United States front-state to deal with the Taliban – signals Taliban’s pragmatism on the foreign policy front.
Trajectory of Pakistan-TTP Peace Talks
Peace negotiations between Pakistan and TTP are not a first-time-happening. But, what is unique about the latest round of peace talks? What is the possibility of success? What are the possible gains and anticipated losses if a settlement is to be concluded?