Taliban Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Russia’s Recognition of the Taliban: Strategic Defiance in a New Great Game

In April 2025, Russia became the first major global power to take decisive steps toward formal recognition of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, breaking with Western efforts to isolate the Islamist government. Though…

April 18, 2025Afghanistan, China, Russia, Taliban, USA

Geopolitics Intelligence ops National Security Terrorism

Russia’s Push to Legitimize the Taliban: Strategic Interests, Global Implications, and U.S. Countermeasures

Russia has recently undertaken several steps toward legitimizing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan: Initiating Legal Processes to Delist the Taliban as a Terrorist Organization: In March 2025, Russia's Prosecutor General's…

April 1, 2025Afghanistan, Russia, Taliban, USA

Geoeconomics Geopolitics Governance Terrorism

Analysis of the Taliban Regime’s resilience in 2024-2025

The Supreme Afghan Leader (Emir) Haibatullah Akhundzada has strengthened his grip to power, formulating new federal institutions functioning under his decree and implementing policies from his limited office in Kandahar. Under his…

October 16, 2024Afghanistan, China, Haqqani network, Iran, Russia, Taliban

Intelligence ops

Russia provides funding for the Taliban in Afghanistan

Moscow is likely to keep on funding the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, via military intelligence, as reviews of the data on Russian plane crash in the mountains in Afghanistan indicate.…

January 25, 2024Afghanistan, Russia, Taliban

Must Read PDF

Northern Afghanistan and the New Threat to Central Asia, 2022

This paper was published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The contest for control of northern Afghanistan between the Taliban, the Islamic State, and other terrorist groups is a major…

May 18, 2022Afghanistan, Taliban

Nonproliferation Terrorism

TTP’s step-up threatens Pakistani control of its nuclear weapon

Seizure of Afghan territory by Taliban brought safety concern to Pakistan, mostly over its nuclear capacity. Taliban militants in Pakistan declared an end to a month-long ceasefire arranged with the…

December 13, 2021Pakistan, Taliban

Intelligence ops National Security Terrorism

“Russian bounties” in Afghanistan: Stage 2

The latest airport attack in Kabul could be seen as part of the campaign to legalize the Taliban in Afghanistan. After the terror attack, which killed over 100 people, the…

August 27, 2021Afghanistan, IS-K, Russia, Taliban

Must Read PDF

Taliban Views on a Future State, 2016

Here is the paper by Borhan Osman and Anand Gopal who examine the views of a section of the Taliban political leadership on the form and functions of a possible future…

August 25, 2021Taliban

Opinion Terrorism

The Taliban might not deliver all their promises, unable to jeopardize relations with the jihadist groups

The Robert Lansing Institute publishes opinion by Senior Jihadist Terrorism Analyst Daniele Garofalo on prospects of main regional jihadist organization after rapid fall of Kabul authorities and establishing the rule…

August 20, 2021Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, ISIS, Taliban

Conflict

Сlausewitz is read but not understood

The fall of Kabul and the rapid recapture of Afghanistan by the Taliban surprised only outside observers. But what left the Biden administration largely speechless was the disbandment of the…

August 16, 2021Afghanistan, Taliban

Taliban