Violent deaths in Pakistan jumped last year. That’s a big worry. Christopher Clary - January 5, 2024 Outside powers may be unable to ignore the worsening turmoil in Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s women in exile continue to push for equality Mona Tajali - August 18, 2022 Activists and former politicians put pressure on the international community regarding concerns over key women’s rights
The U.S. killed al-Qaeda’s leader. That might boost terrorism. Jenna Jordan - August 9, 2022 ‘Leadership decapitation’ can inspire Islamist extremist groups and followers to carry out more attacks, my research finds
Americans see Afghan and Ukrainian refugees very differently. Why? Scott Williamson, Melina Platas, Lauren Prather, Claire Adida, and Adeline Lo - April 28, 2022 But research suggests some approaches can help communities successfully absorb all kinds of refugees
What happens now to U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan? Sarah Kreps and Paul Lushenko - September 21, 2021 The lack of accountability for civilian casualties in drone strikes isn’t likely to change
What 9/11 taught us about the president, Congress and who makes war and peace Douglas Kriner - September 11, 2021 It’s more complicated than it appears.
Did the Afghanistan exit diminish U.S. credibility among its allies? Probably not. Ronald Krebs and Jennifer Spindel - August 31, 2021 Prolonged wars make allies nervous, our research on Vietnam shows.
The U.S. couldn’t build Afghanistan a democracy. That rarely works. Jacqueline L. Hazelton - August 31, 2021 Regimes battling a counterinsurgency often depend on corruption to stay in power
Afghanistan’s security forces unraveled this month. What broke their seven-year stalemate with the Taliban? Yuri M. Zhukov and Stephen Biddle - August 31, 2021 The dynamics behind this kind of collapse are more common than you might think
Taliban leaders are back in charge in Afghanistan. Can they control their own army? Jean Lachapelle, Dan Slater, and Adam E. Casey - August 26, 2021 What we know from other victorious rebellions
How resettling Afghan refugees might help Afghanistan’s future Margaret Peters and David Leblang - August 25, 2021 Migrants help their home countries by building trade ties and by sending back both cash and political knowledge.
Baroness, ‘Collapse’: The Week In One Song Christopher Federico - August 20, 2021 Afghanistan’s government collapses.
5 ways the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan will hurt Pakistan Fahd Humayun - August 16, 2021 Pakistan’s relationship with its own religious groups — and with Washington — just got more complicated
Northern Afghanistan once kept out the Taliban. Why has it fallen so quickly this time? Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili - July 27, 2021 Political and ethnic tensions have fueled new discord — and the Taliban has capitalized on these grievances
The Taliban isn’t the only challenge for the Afghanistan government Dipali Mukhopadhyay - July 7, 2021 The U.S. withdrawal leaves these big questions for the Ghani administration
Five things to watch as the U.S. prepares to exit Afghanistan Asfandyar Mir - April 25, 2021 For Afghans, the conflict enters a new phase
Negotiating peace the same old way doesn’t work. Here’s what does. Séverine Autesserre - March 21, 2021 Over 20 years of research, these three things emerged as key to building a lasting peace
Why the Taliban agreed to let more girls in Afghanistan go to school Jori Breslawski - January 5, 2021 Afghan girls outside a temporary shelter in Kabul last month.
What will America’s commitment to Afghanistan look like after the election? Asfandyar Mir - November 1, 2020 The peace negotiations are in flux, and the Taliban has ramped up the violence
Why didn’t the U.S. rebuke Russia for its Taliban bounty deal? Four things to know. Asfandyar Mir - July 1, 2020 The Trump administration’s response seems unusual, on a number of levels
The U.S. may be close to a peace deal in Afghanistan. Here are 3 big takeaways. Asfandyar Mir - February 20, 2020 How can the U.S. prevent a civil war and international terrorism while getting out of its longest war?
This recent poll shows how Americans think about the war in Afghanistan Shibley Telhami and Connor Kopchick - January 3, 2020 The Afghanistan Papers showed how the U.S. government misled the public. Will that change minds?
Don’t expect Afghanistan to have a Western-style government. This explains why. Romain Malejacq - December 17, 2019 It’s a delusion to think warlords will quietly fade away
If you’re surprised by what’s in the Afghanistan Papers, you haven’t been paying attention Jason Lyall - December 12, 2019 In these five key areas, scholarly research could have helped policymakers and strategists make better decisions
Biden plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Here’s what we learned about America’s longest war. Elizabeth N. Saunders - December 11, 2019 Here are experts’ key takeaways on the war in Afghanistan, drawn from the Afghanistan Papers.
Afghanistan holds elections Saturday. Here’s what to know about its democratic process. Dipali Mukhopadhyay - September 26, 2019 This election could enable the Afghan state to better serve its citizens and hold space against extremism for the international community.
Afghanistan’s election on Saturday could be bloodier than expected. This explains why. Elise Burr and Andrew Shaver - September 25, 2019 Until now, the Taliban had good reason to avoid killing civilians as they tried to vote. That’s changed.
Trump canceled his secret meeting with the Taliban. The negotiations were in trouble anyway. Jason Lyall - September 8, 2019 Four big obstacles to peace remain
Iran’s cooperation with the Taliban could affect talks on U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan Ariane M. Tabatabai - August 8, 2019 Here’s what’s motivating the recently publicized ties.
The point of the Afghanistan ‘peace deal’ is simple: The U.S. wants to get out James Lebovic - January 31, 2019 [caption id="attachment_83301" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Former insurgents surrender their weapons during
Here’s why Russia keeps hosting Afghanistan peace talks that will almost certainly fail Samuel Ramani - January 2, 2019 [caption id="attachment_82023" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov opens
5 key lessons from the Taliban’s deadly resurgence in Afghanistan Jason Lyall - August 19, 2018 [caption id="attachment_76876" align="aligncenter" width="960"] An Afghan National Army soldier keeps
The U.S. military is trying to manage foreign conflicts — not resolve them. Here’s why. Paul Staniland - July 16, 2018 [caption id="attachment_75692" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A U.S. soldier assigned to provide
Afghanistan’s road to peace won’t be an easy one Asfandyar Mir - March 30, 2018 Is there hope for an end to the long war
To win ‘hearts and minds’ in Afghanistan, some aid programs worked better than others Rebecca Wolfe and Jason Lyall - February 19, 2018 [caption id="attachment_69365" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Afghan youths look over the city
Russia is looking to engage with the Taliban. Here’s why. Samuel Ramani - January 15, 2018 [caption id="attachment_68101" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A U.S. soldier patrols in Asad
Will U.S. threats to Pakistan help crack down on terrorism? Not really. Paul Staniland and Asfandyar Mir - January 5, 2018 http://www.washingtonpost.com/video/world/trump-calls-on-pakistan-to-stop-harboring-terrorists/2017/08/21/92528b98-86dc-11e7-96a7-d178cf3524eb_video.html Editor's Note: Since we published this post in August
Was the mosque massacre in Egypt preventable? Omar Ashour - December 1, 2017 Last week’s attack on worshipers at a mosque in Egypt was
Trump singled out India to do more in Afghanistan. That could easily backfire. Christopher Clary - August 24, 2017 In the middle of Monday night’s fairly orthodox speech on
Private military contractors aren’t going to do a better job in Afghanistan. Here’s why. Deborah Avant - July 12, 2017 [caption id="attachment_60837" align="aligncenter" width="960"] U.S. forces and Afghan security police
The U.S. carried out extraordinary rendition flights from 2001-2005. Here are 15 more countries that helped. Rebecca Cordell - March 14, 2017 [caption id="attachment_55337" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A barbed wire fence surrounding a
When is a warlord better than no warlord? Robert Blair and Pablo Kalmanovitz - March 10, 2017 [caption id="attachment_39929" align="aligncenter" width="2366"] The United Nations headquarters in New
Trump’s national security adviser wants to water down U.S. NATO commitments. Here’s what that means. James Goldgeier - November 20, 2016 [caption id="attachment_49904" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A mural on a restaurant wall in
Here are the five things you need to know about the 2015 fighting season in Afghanistan. Jason Lyall - January 12, 2016 Last year was quietly disastrous for Afghanistan. You might have
Here’s why we can only contain the Islamic State, not bomb it back to the Stone Age Stephen Biddle and Jacob Shapiro - December 1, 2015 [caption id="attachment_32401" align="aligncenter" width="908"] U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles
Five things you need to know about the European migrant crisis Virginie Guiraudon - September 10, 2015 [caption id="attachment_29275" align="aligncenter" width="1484"] Refugees walk on the highway close
How empirical studies of political violence (can) help policymakers Joseph Felter, Ethan Kapstein, and Eli Berman - March 16, 2015 [caption id="attachment_22760" align="aligncenter" width="876"] U.S. and British soldiers talk at
A (fighting) season to remember in Afghanistan Jason Lyall - October 20, 2014 With little fanfare, and even less Western media coverage, another
The spoils of peace in Afghanistan Renard Sexton - September 26, 2014 [caption id="attachment_16134" align="alignnone" width="620"] Afghan rival presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah,
Why the Afghan election still isn’t over Andrew Gelman - August 12, 2014 [caption id="attachment_14310" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, from
The everyday politics of international intervention Séverine Autesserre - June 27, 2014 [caption id="attachment_12388" align="aligncenter" width="215"] (Courtesy Cambridge University Press)[/caption] The following
Lessons from Afghanistan: Warlord politics aren't always bad for democracy Frances Brown and Dipali Mukhopadhyay - May 13, 2014 [caption id="attachment_10053" align="aligncenter" width="600" special=""] Former Nangarhar governer Gul Agha
Lessons from Afghanistan: Warlord politics aren’t always bad for democracy Frances Brown and Dipali Mukhopadhyay - May 13, 2014 [caption id="attachment_10053" align="aligncenter" width="600" special=""] Former Nangarhar governer Gul Agha
Afghanistan: What Went Wrong? Joshua Tucker - May 24, 2013 The following is the first in our series of collaborations
The Case for Using Project-Level Data to Study Aid Distribution and Impact Erik Voeten - February 16, 2012 We are pleased to welcome the following guest post from
Collaborating and Defecting Paul Staniland - July 7, 2010 “Collaborator” is a loaded term. It’s used by insurgents to