Al-Qaeda Post-Zawahiri: Structure, Crisis, and Future

Position Assessment| This article seeks to extrapolate the fate of al-Qaeda after the demise of its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Such exploration analyzes the reality of al-Qaeda at its structural and operational levels; the crises it is suffering; and the future of al-Qaeda as well as its branches, and the prospects for change in al-Qaeda’s ideological discourses, network of relations, and positions on the ground.

TALIBANIST AFGHANISTAN: THE FUTURE AND THE IMPLICATIONS ON POLITICAL ISLAM

This paper assesses the first months of Taliban's rule, citing the elements of power and weakness which such movements demonstrated until the end of the year 2021. It also explores the future and nature of Taliban's continuation to dominate Afghanistan, and the implications of such continuity over the international landscape of political Islam.

The Changing Landscape in Central Asia after Afghanistan's Fall

Central Asian countries are back at the forefront of events and analyses after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in conjunction with the US withdrawal. This article examines the reactions of Central Asian countries in local and regional context and the future of their relations with the Taliban.

Afghanistan Is Falling Apart

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is set to be completed by September 11, 2021. Yet the dramatically escalating trajectories, along with the Taliban’s sudden and easy entry into the capital after the collapse of the Afghan army and the escape of President Ashraf Ghani, are indications that the Islamic Emirate might be established before that date and that the U.S. military presence was brought to an end overnight.

The Ruling Taliban: Domestic Challenges and Geostrategic Goals

News from Afghanistan is at the forefront of international capitals' attention, with Taliban Movement taking control of Afghan geography, marking a turning point in the history of a country that is ever engaged in international tensions, once in the collapse of the Soviet Union and then in the war on terrorism. The following paper outlines the most important "domestic" challenges facing the Movement in establishing sustainable and stable political governance. It also reviews Taliban in the highly competitive geostrategic perspective between Washington on the one hand and Beijing and Moscow on the other. The paper concludes by demonstrating the importance of gaining international recognition for the government that Taliban says it is forming with various parties, noting that such recognition will remain subject to Taliban’s ability to prove its good will in breaking with its past and building a new reality away from terrorism or extremism.

"The Afghanistan Papers" and the future's peace with Taliban