Taliban: The New Masters of the Gray Zone?
Negotiations have wrapped up between the U.S. and the Taliban, with both sides citing ‘progress’ but nothing groundbreaking in terms of a settlement. These are […] More
Taliban
The Dangerous Escalation Dynamics of Terrorism
Bottom Line Up Front While Pakistan relies on terrorists as proxies, it remains unclear exactly how much control the military and intelligence services have […] More
Ending Support for the War in Yemen
Bottom Line Up Front On February 13, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 248-177 to require the administration to end support for Saudi Arabia’s […] More
Is Peace with the Taliban Possible?
Bottom Line Up Front After nearly two decades at war in Afghanistan, the United States seems to be seriously pursuing a negotiated peace agreement […] More
The Taliban and the Trump Card
U.S. and Taliban officials have agreed to a framework for a possible deal that could see a Taliban guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used […] More
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent: The Nucleus of Jihad in South Asia
Bottom Line Up Front The U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will give terrorist groups like al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) more room to […] More
EXCLUSIVE: On Nobility and the CIA’s War in Afghanistan
OPINION — On December 31, The New York Times published a piece that claimed Afghan forces “trained and equipped by CIA agents or contractors” were […] More
The Taliban’s Devastating Attack in Kandahar
Bottom Line Up Front On October 18, the Taliban assassinated General Abdul Raziq, the extremely powerful and controversial police chief of Kandahar Province. The […] More
Journalists Face Real Danger Amid Cries of Fake News
Bottom Line Up Front: The Pakistan Press Club Safety Hub Network reported 13 cases of murder, violence, intimidation and censorship against local Pakistani journalists in […] More
Relations between Washington and Islamabad? It’s Complicated
Pakistan sits at a critical crossroads of U.S. Counterterrorism efforts, and geo-political strategy with China. Pakistan has elected a former cricket player, Imran Khan, as […] More
Afghanistan Quagmire Leaves U.S. With No Good Options
Update: June 18, 2018 – Despite an incredibly rare ceasefire between the Afghan Government and the Taliban in observance of Eid al-Fitr, two deadly suicide […] More
Has Pakistan Truly Tamed its Tribal Frontier?
Maligned as a bastion of extremism and a top terrorist safe haven, Pakistan’s Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), along the country’s northwestern border with Afghanistan, […] More
US Demands Pakistan Arrest “Hit List” of Top Haqqani & Taliban Leaders
The Trump administration has given Pakistan a new “hit list” of nearly a dozen top militants to detain, to show its willingness to fight terrorism, […] More
Getting the Most Out of Pakistan
The Trump administration’s decision to suspend security assistance to the Pakistani military pending “decisive action” against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network represents an […] More
Pakistan’s Military: The Fire Brigade and the Arsonist?
Tensions that mounted during a deadly, Islamist protest in Pakistan last month were resolved not by the country’s civilian government, but by leaders of its […] More
Two Years Likely Too Fast to “Win” in Afghanistan
America’s plan of attack in Afghanistan has evolved significantly, since President Donald Trump announced his new strategy for confronting the Taliban-led insurgency and the Islamic […] More
Afghans Wary of Trump’s Pledge to Challenge Terrorists & Islamabad
Jalalabad, AFGHANISTAN – When Donald Trump announced his administration’s strategy for Afghanistan, it was welcomed by Kabul’s leaders and other Afghan urban centers. Influential figures […] More
‘The Enemy is Everywhere’: Afghans Mourn Dead As Attacks Mount
KABUL, Afghanistan – On an otherwise ordinary Friday evening, a stranger entered the Imam Zaman mosque in West Kabul, just as worshippers were completing the evening […] More