Afghanistan, now controlled by the Taliban, has become a hotspot of unexpected developments that could reshape global politics. Despite ongoing U.S. sanctions and a lack of international recognition, the Taliban’s control has led to dramatic changes: opium production has plummeted, but ISIS-K remains a persistent threat; tensions with Pakistan and
The Taliban’s decision to describe the Wakhan Corridor’s southeastern border as Jammu & Kashmir instead of Gilgit-Baltistan is a clever psychological provocation against Pakistan, albeit one which remains below the threshold of unacceptability and thus couldn’t legitimately justify a kinetic response. The Taliban’s Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs posted on
In a surprising twist for Afghanistan’s future, the Taliban and a Chinese construction firm have inked a $216 million deal to build an industrial town in Kabul, creating 43,000 jobs and boosting the economy. This ambitious project aims to transform the war-torn country’s landscape, with plans to build 150 factories
In the past ten days, the Taliban sold 150,000 tons of crude oil for over $80 million. This follows their 25-year contract with China’s CAPEIC, which invested $49 million to boost daily production to 8,000 barrels. Beijing’s investment in Afghanistan is starting to pay off as the government has sold
Improving Russian-Taliban ties has created significant opportunities for India to influence Afghanistan’s economic development, counter China’s regional influence, and strengthen its strategic position through collaborative infrastructure projects. With the elimination of the Taliban’s status as a domestic terrorist organization imminent, Russia is well-positioned to strategically collaborate with them, thereby transforming
Recent developments, such as Russia’s invitations to the Taliban to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and debates on removing them from the terrorist list, raise questions about strategic partnership intentions. Because of their treatment of women and their unwillingness to establish a government that is inclusive of all ethnic
The Taliban’s governor of the Afghan central bank, Hidayatullah Badri, has revealed that the Taliban and China are in discussions regarding banking cooperation. (Photo Credit: India Today) The Taliban’s governor of the Afghan central bank Hidayatullah Badri met with Chinese envoy Wang Yu this week to discuss banking ties and
The new documentary “Transition,” which premiered this past weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival, tells the secret story of a trans journalist embedded with the Taliban. A still from Transition. ‘We wanted to approach everything from a nonjudgemental point of view. We hope to have some social impact with this.’ Photograph:
Abhishek Darbey, a research associate with the Chinese Research Program at the New Delhi-based Center for China Analysis and Strategy (CCAS), believes that the real reason behind China’s $10 billion offer to the Taliban for lithium is that the Chinese regime wants to control the region.
