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Afghanistan

Iran at the Breaking Point: How Afghanistan and Iraq Still Inform U.S. Strategy

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Iran is experiencing its most consequential period of internal unrest in years. Nationwide demonstrations driven by economic [...] More

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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

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

OPINION — In recent weeks, reports of Russia considering formal engagement and recognition of the Taliban have reignited debate around international [...] More

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

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

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

How Far Might a U.S.-Taliban Engagement Go?

How Far Might a U.S.-Taliban Engagement Go?

EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The Taliban government in Afghanistan enjoys no formal recognition from the rest of the world, thanks largely to a poor human [...] More

Taliban’s Internal Power Struggle: A Regime on the Brink

OPINION — A few months ago, I received an unexpected message from a well-placed source within the Taliban. That message led to a series of secured [...] More

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

Cipher Brief Experts Offer Reflections on 9/11 - and What Came After

SPECIAL REPORT — It’s been a very long ride since terrorists sent by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden set out on a fateful mission to deliver terror [...] More

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

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

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