PYRRHIC VICTORY: UNFOLDING NEW CHALLENGES FROM THE AFGHAN CONUNDRUM

The paper aims to comprehend the newly found challenges of Afghanistan that have emerged right after the sudden withdrawal of the American forces and have created a security vacuum in the war-torn country. The paper explores various dimensions through which a Taliban-controlled country can become the most significant security threat to the South Asian region and the rest of Asia, hampering the peace and stability of the region. Further, it reconnoitres the rise of the new Taliban regime and how it is different from the previous one.

SAURABH SINGH
DECEMBER 01, 2021

Why SAARC would not allow Foreign Ministers meet to Legitimise Taliban Regime

The South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Foreign Ministers meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting has become a convention since 1997. Despite the SAARC Summit meetings being cancelled or postponed, the SAARC foreign Ministers have met regularly to discuss the regional affairs. Lately, since 2018, the India Pakistan conflict has also spilled over to the SAARC foreign ministers meet in New York.

SMRUTI S PATTANAIK

Afghanistan: Challenges before Taliban Emirate 2.0

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan is over, after taking control of the presidential palace in Kabul. Except for the ongoing resistance from National Resistance Front (NRF) in Panjshir valley and sporadic violence from Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, Afghanistan has witnessed relative calm since then. However, the law and order situation continues to remain grim.

ANIMESH ROUL & NIHAR NAYAK

Interview: "Afghans 'caught between the devil and the deep sea'

July 18, 2021

Nearing the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces and allies in Afghanistan, the South Asian country is quickly descending on a path to chaos and conflict.

The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces has drawn the ire of former President George W. Bush. As the American-backed government in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, is left to fend for itself, Bush was quick to criticize the move, calling it a "mistake" with grave consequences.

EER: "Islamic State’s Khorasan Province: A Potent Force in Afghan Jihad"

December 28, 2020

Although the so-called Islamic State (IS) Caliphate crumbled and disintegrated in the Middle East, the group’s most potent branch, the IS-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) remains resilient. It continues to display its violent presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, fiercely withstanding the unremitting onslaughts from government and rival Taliban forces. The group demonstratively retains the ability to carry out gruesome attacks at will in the capital Kabul and its traditional strongholds in Eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

ANIMESH ROUL

TM: "Al-Qaeda’s South Asian Branch Gravitating Toward Kashmir"

April 19, 2020

Almost six years after al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent’s (AQIS) formation as the regional subsidiary of the infamous transnational jihadist group, the organization is reportedly shifting its violent campaign to Kashmir and India. On March 21, in one of its key Urdu language magazines, AQIS claimed that the group would change the title of its long-running publication Nawa-i Afghan Jihad to Nawa-i Gazawatul Hind, signaling the geographical shift, mostly justifying the objectives behind its name and formation.

ANIMESH ROUL

Building Democracy in Afghanistan: The Trust Factor

As described by critics all over the world, Afghanistan has become a very messy place to live in today. There are different views regarding democratization process in this Islamic country. However, we cannot say that democracy is impossible in the Islamic countries of the world. First, it is wrong to pit the fortune of democracy in accordance with Islamism. A professor from Frankfurt Peace Research Institute argues that democracy is a full market with all kinds of products, and everybody can go and buy what they want.

ULVIYYA HUSEYNOVA
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