South East Asia

Atop a craggy mountain that has withstood foreign invaders for decades, anti-Taliban fighters fire a mounted heavy machine gun into a deep valley. They are members of the National Resistance Front (NRF) — the most prominent Afghan opposition group to emerge since the Taliban captured Kabul nine days ago.

Praktiski visu 21. gadsimtu ASV un tās sabiedroto militārā klātbūtne Afganistānā nodrošināja Centrālās Āzijas autoritāro, bet reliģiski laicīgo režīmu stabilitāti. Amerikāņu klātbūtne Afganistānā bija liels šķērslis radikālā islāma izplatībai ārpus Afganistānas. Radikālais islāms nevarēja iespiesties citās Centrālās Āzijas valstīs, jo talibi bija nodarbināti ar cīņu pret amerikāņiem un to atbalstītās …

Desperate mass evacuation efforts in Afghanistan make it clear nothing went according to plan. There are multiple tragedies unfolding all at once. Will every American get out? How many Afghan nationals, who were promised American protection, will be rescued? And what about the future of everyone else under Taliban rule, …

Biden is getting attacked on all sides for putting its ‘credibility’ on the Taiwan issue at risk. Will he cave to it? In an interview on Wednesday, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden whether the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan called into question the credibility of America’s commitment to …

Taliban forces have taken control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country The Taliban’s control of Afghanistan will affect Israel’s security, former Defence Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, warned yesterday. “Despite the great distance between Afghanistan and Israel, the withdrawal of the United States forces and the …

The collapse of the US’s position in Afghanistan has limited read-across to its relations with its NATO and Asian allies. But it is a stark reminder of the constraints on the UK as a global power. This is a desperate time for the people of Afghanistan, as they await their …

In the past few days, hundreds of Afghan soldiers have sought refuge in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Several dozen helicopters and planes, formerly of the Afghan air force, fled the Taliban’s advance and landed in Uzbekistan. At the time of writing, almost 600 Afghan pilots and crews remain in the country. …

In 2020, India changed its foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations to allow investments of up to 74 per cent in the defence manufacturing sector under its automatic route, which was previously limited to 49 per cent. This is an important decision for a sector that is struggling to attract investment. …

The Taliban violently dispersed scattered protests for a second day Thursday amid warnings that Afghanistan’s already weakened economy could crumble further without the massive international aid that sustained the toppled Western-backed government. The Taliban have sought to project moderation and say they want good relations with the international community, but …

Like other foreign powers, Turkey was caught off-guard by the speed of the Taliban’s recent blitz across the country, which has greatly complicated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plans. While most NATO countries were happy to wash their hands of the conflict after a grueling 20-year counterinsurgency and nation-building effort, …