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Afghanistan

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

Masoud Andarabi

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

AfghanistanAlternative PerspectivesAsia

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Why Al Qaeda Refuses to Die

Why Al Qaeda Refuses to Die

DEEP DIVE — More than two decades after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Al Qaeda is not only alive — it has adapted, expanded, and quietly embedded [...] More

AfghanistanTerrorismAsia

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

Matin Bek

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

Matin BekAfghanistanAsia

Afghanistan's Tale of Two Extremist Movements

Matin Bek

Afghanistan's Tale of Two Extremist Movements

OPINION — There has been considerable comparison between the Taliban and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as both groups originated from extremist [...] More

AfghanistanMatin Bek

Will the new Administration bring new opportunity on Afghanistan?

Dave Pitts

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

AfghanistanCipher Brief Expert ViewDave Pitts

Avoiding Strategic Surprise will be key in the next Administration

Dave Pitts

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

RussiaCipher Brief Expert ViewChinaAfghanistanDave Pittsnational security
Taliban 3.0: The Terrorism Threat and a Humanitarian Nightmare
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expert analysis

Taliban 3.0: The Terrorism Threat and a Humanitarian Nightmare

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — The withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan three years ago led to the fall of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, the [...] More

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

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

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — Three years ago today, Taliban forces marched into Kabul, as American forces were leaving Afghanistan, and a U.S.-backed [...] More

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

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

EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — Three years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power, the country has once again [...] More

AfghanistanTerrorismAsia
After Afghanistan: Assessing Today's Threat Landscape

After Afghanistan: Assessing Today's Threat Landscape

SUBSCRIBER+ VIRTUAL BRIEFING— Wednesday, August 28 at 1p ET with Cipher Brief Experts General Frank McKenzie (Ret.) and Dave Pitts, Former Assistant [...] More

AfghanistanCIAAsia

It's Time To Talk To the Taliban

Becky Root

It's Time To Talk To the Taliban

OPINION — While all eyes are on developments in the Middle East and the situation between Russia and Ukraine - rightfully so - another country needs [...] More

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

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

SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — More than two years after its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S. still does not have a clear way forward [...] More

Middle EastAfghanistanDave PittsAsiaReporting

The U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan – and Lessons for Ukraine  

Walter Pincus

The U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan – and Lessons for Ukraine  

OPINION — “I think one of the lessons [of the August 2021 U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan], if you want to call it a lesson, I suppose, is: [...] More

AfghanistanUkraineWalter Pincus