Afghanistan

Afghanistan Is Becoming India and Pakistan’s Proxy Battlefield—Again

OPINION — On Oct. 15, 2025, Islamabad and Kabul announced a 48-hour ceasefire after days of shelling and cross-border clashes around Spin [...] More

Talks, Deception, and Terror: The Taliban Subsumed Under Al Qaeda’s Strategic Umbrella

OPINION — There has been an argument suggesting that the international community—particularly the United States—should engage with the Taliban to [...] More

OPINION — There has been an argument suggesting that the international community—particularly the United States—should engage with the Taliban to [...] More

I Sat Across the Table from China’s Spies. Here’s How They Operate in Fragile States

OPINION — In 2016, I sat across the table from China’s Director of Operations for the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Their visit to Kabul was [...] More

OPINION — In 2016, I sat across the table from China’s Director of Operations for the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Their visit to Kabul was [...] More

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From Kabul to Kyiv: Lessons the U.S. Must Heed for Peace

From Kabul to Kyiv: Lessons the U.S. Must Heed for Peace

OPINION — Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, I’ve found the familiar rhetoric supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defense against Russian [...] More

Will the new Administration bring new opportunity on Afghanistan?

Will the new Administration bring new opportunity on Afghanistan?

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — In April of 2024, I offered some thoughts in The Cipher Brief on a possible way forward in Afghanistan. That approach [...] More

Avoiding Strategic Surprise will be key in the next Administration

EXPERT Q&A – The Cipher Brief tapped Dave Pitts, former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia and range of other experts with deep [...] More

Afghanistan

A Fragile Truce at the Durand Line: Will the Afghanistan–Pakistan Ceasefire Last?

A Fragile Truce at the Durand Line: Will the Afghanistan–Pakistan Ceasefire Last?

Afghanistan Is Becoming India and Pakistan’s Proxy Battlefield—Again

Afghanistan Is Becoming India and Pakistan’s Proxy Battlefield—Again

Talks, Deception, and Terror: The Taliban Subsumed Under Al Qaeda’s Strategic Umbrella

Talks, Deception, and Terror: The Taliban Subsumed Under Al Qaeda’s Strategic Umbrella

I Sat Across the Table from China’s Spies. Here’s How They Operate in Fragile States

I Sat Across the Table from China’s Spies. Here’s How They Operate in Fragile States

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A Fragile Truce at the Durand Line: Will the Afghanistan–Pakistan Ceasefire Last?

Afghanistan Is Becoming India and Pakistan’s Proxy Battlefield—Again

Talks, Deception, and Terror: The Taliban Subsumed Under Al Qaeda’s Strategic Umbrella

I Sat Across the Table from China’s Spies. Here’s How They Operate in Fragile States

Why Al Qaeda Refuses to Die

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Russia’s Outreach to the Taliban: Strategic Calculations or Regional Security Fears?

Russia’s Outreach to the Taliban: Strategic Calculations or Regional Security Fears?

Why Al Qaeda Refuses to Die

From Kabul to Kyiv: Lessons the U.S. Must Heed for Peace

From Kabul to Kyiv: Lessons the U.S. Must Heed for Peace

Afghanistan's Tale of Two Extremist Movements

Afghanistan's Tale of Two Extremist Movements

Will the new Administration bring new opportunity on Afghanistan?

Will the new Administration bring new opportunity on Afghanistan?

Avoiding Strategic Surprise will be key in the next Administration

Avoiding Strategic Surprise will be key in the next Administration

Taliban 3.0: The Terrorism Threat and a Humanitarian Nightmare

Three Years Later, a 'Report Card' for the Taliban

Three Years After Taliban Return, Terrorists Find Safe Haven in Afghanistan

After Afghanistan: Assessing Today's Threat Landscape

It's Time To Talk To the Taliban

It's Time To Talk To the Taliban

Is Afghanistan A Lost Cause for America? Observations from One of the Last Americans Out

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