The ever-elusive Afghan “peace” process negotiations re-start this Wednesday in Doha via the extended troika – the US, Russia, China and Pakistan. The contrast with the accumulated facts on the ground could not be starker. In a coordinated blitzkrieg, the Taliban have subdued no less than six Afghan provincial capitals in only four days. The…
The news of the beginning of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was enthusiastically received by many media outlets worldwide. There have been many positive articles about the benefits of this decision by Washington. American soldiers will stop dying on foreign soil. The US economy will be relieved of the monstrous burden of combat…
Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s visit to Tehran to attend Iranian President Raisi’s inauguration saw the Islamic Republic’s new leader praise India’s role in establishing security in Afghanistan, which might signal that those two are considering allying with Kabul against the Taliban to an as-yet undefined extent. Indian-Iranian relations have seen their fair share of…
The perfect storm for another regional humanitarian crisis is brewing with unpredictable consequences for all stakeholders. The situation doesn’t seem like it’ll improve anytime soon considering the challenging dynamics. The Afghan peace process is at a pivotal point ahead of the upcoming Doha talks and the US’ planned military withdrawal from the country by the…
India’s and Iran’s refusal to participate in the Extended Troika on Afghanistan alongside Russia, Pakistan, China, and the US due to New Delhi’s reluctance to publicly talk to the Taliban and Tehran’s disagreements with Washington means that this peacemaking structure will always remain incomplete even though it’ll still likely manage to accomplish most of its…
Boasting an almost 1,000-kilometer border with Iran and a history of troubled relations between the Iranians and Sunni Muslim militants, including the Taliban, Afghanistan could become a bellwether for the future of the rivalry between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia. Had the United States withdrawn from Afghanistan several years earlier, chances would have been…
