Current Awareness Alert Afghanistan: Home

RAND. The RAND Blog (August 17, 2021).
“Even as the situation remains in flux, a handful of RAND researchers have shared some of their initial thoughts.”

“Afghanistan has long struggled with instability, terrorism, and conflict. The withdrawal of US and NATO forces after twenty years of war leaves it at an even more perilous juncture. As the Taliban takes control of the country, the pressure is mounting on regional powers and the global community to help stabilize Afghanistan for the sake of their own interests as well as those of the Afghan people.”

Atlantic Council. Monday, August 23, 2021, streaming video, 1:02:06.
General Petraeus addresses a wide range of critically important issues, including the long-term implications for US alliances, particularly NATO, and what effective policy options are available to the United States for setting its relationship with a Taliban-led Afghanistan.

Riaz, Ali. (Washington, DC: Atlantic Council, August 20, 2021).
"After capturing Kabul at lightning speed—surprising analysts and security experts alike—the Taliban are now poised to assume leadership once again in Afghanistan. In lieu of these developments, four potential trajectories warrant attention in the near to medium term.”

Daragahi, Borzou. (Washington, DC: Atlantic Council, August 20, 2021).
“Iran’s relatively sanguine stance toward the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan demonstrates, above all, the strides Tehran has made in improving its relations with the armed insurgent network that was once considered a mortal enemy of the Islamic Republic.”

Nooruddin, Irfan. (Washington, DC: Atlantic Council, August 20, 2021).
“In this interview, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty partnered for a discussion on the prospects for Afghanistan’s media sector under renewed Taliban rule. Jamie Fly, president of RFE/RL, as well as moderator Irfan Nooruddin, director of the South Asia Center, led the conversation.”

Balachandran, Vappala. (Washington, DC: Atlantic Council, August 19, 2021).
“As has been the case for millennia, India’s ambitions in Afghanistan are cultural in nature, not military. The same cannot be said for Pakistan.”

Nooruddin, Irfan, and Harris A. Samad. Atlantic Council. Episode of “Fast Thinking,” August 18, 2021, streaming video, 10:07.
“For decades, stability and security in Afghanistan has presented a significant national security threat for the region’s two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan. Afghanistan has at times served as a springboard for regional terrorism, which has reared its head in the Kashmir region and elsewhere. So what does the fall of Kabul mean for these nuclear-armed rivals? India has lost an ally, and for Pakistan the answer is… complicated.”

Atlantic Council. (Washington, DC: Atlantic Council, August 15, 2021).
“Our experts, many of whom have spent many years in the trenches on Afghanistan policy, are sending their reactions as these historic developments unfold. This post will be continuously updated as more come in and we track this fast-moving story.”

“Following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, aftershocks are being felt globally. ‘Afghanistan Aftershocks’ curates CSIS’s center-wide expertise.”

Runde, Daniel F. (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, August 20, 2021).

Center for Strategic and International Studies. August 18, 2021, streaming video, 1:03:25.
"The fall of Kabul signifies a new power dynamic in Afghanistan and the region. It has the potential to reverse two decades of progress in areas such as human and women’s rights, education, and development. Amid an increasing humanitarian and refugee crisis, the events of the past week and years might open opportunities for U.S. adversaries to take advantage of diminishing U.S. influence and capacity to react to developing crises in the region. What are immediate next steps that the U.S. should take in Afghanistan? And what actions need to be taken elsewhere to compartmentalize Afghanistan and signal U.S. resolve? Please join us for a timely discussion with several career experts on Afghanistan.”

Cordesman, Anthony H. (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, August 17, 2021).
"This analysis attempts to list the many factors that made both defeat and a sudden collapse possible.”

Charillon, Frédéric. (London, UK: Royal United Services Institute, August 20, 2021).

Willasey-Wilsey, Tim. (London, UK: Royal United Services Institute, August 18, 2021).

Chalmers, Malcolm. (London, UK: Royal United Services Institute, August 17, 2021).

Clarke, Michael. (London, UK: Royal United Services Institute, August 16, 2021).

Piotrowski, Marcin Andrzej. (Warsaw, Poland: Polish Institute of International Affairs, August 19, 2021).

Dąbrowski, Andrzej. (Warsaw, Poland: Polish Institute of International Affairs, August 17, 2021).

Lorenz, Wojciech. (Warsaw, Poland: Polish Institute of International Affairs, August 16, 2021).

Sappani, Vijay. (New Delhi, India: Observer Research Foundation, August 21, 2021).

Joshi, Manoj. (New Delhi, India: Observer Research Foundation, August 20, 2021).

Taneja, Kabir. (New Delhi, India: Observer Research Foundation, August 20, 2021).

Nayak, Sohini. (New Delhi, India: Observer Research Foundation, August 19, 2021).

Mirchandani, Maya. (New Delhi, India: Observer Research Foundation, August 18, 2021).

Ahmed, Imran. (Singapore, August 16, 2021).

Kaura, Vinay. (Singapore, August 4, 2021).

Thomas, Clayton, et al. (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, August 20, 2021).
“On August 15, 2021, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul, completing a rapid takeover over the country that surprised many Afghans and Americans alike. The Taliban’s advance came as the United States was completing the military withdrawal to which it agreed in the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban accord. The fall of the elected Afghan government, supported by billions of dollars in U.S. assistance over the course of nearly two decades, raises significant questions about past, present, and future U.S. policy for Members of Congress. This report provides material related to select questions associated with U.S. policy in Afghanistan, including:
• Background information useful for understanding the current situation in Afghanistan;
• The Taliban takeover and Afghan government’s collapse;
• U.S. policy implications of the Taliban takeover;
• Social and economic implications of the Taliban takeover;
• Regional reactions to the Taliban’s takeover;
• U.S. military operations; and
• Budgetary implications of the U.S. withdrawal.
Some additional lines of inquiry that Congress may wish to explore with the Executive Branch are included alongside specific topics as appropriate. The report concludes with some strategic considerations Congress may wish to contemplate as it assesses the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for the future.
With a general U.S. target date for the completion of the military withdrawal and evacuation operation set at August 31, 2021, the situation on the ground remains extremely fluid. This report will be updated to reflect major changes in U.S. policy or developments in Afghanistan that may significantly affect U.S. decisions.”

Thomas, Clayton, and Sarah R. Collins. (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, August 18, 2021).
“The status of Afghan women and girls is increasingly precarious in light of the Taliban’s takeover of the country in mid-August 2021.”

Thomas, Clayton. (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, August 17, 2021).
“Afghanistan’s geography, complex ethnic composition, and history of conflict and instability have created space for numerous armed Islamist groups, some of which have engaged in transnational terrorist activity. This product outlines major terrorist groups active in Afghanistan that are affiliated and allied with Al Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or by the Arabic acronym Da’esh), and relations between these groups and other state and non-state actors, most notably the Taliban. The Taliban are not a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). These dynamics may inform assessments of U.S. policy in Afghanistan in light of the Taliban’s August 2021 takeover of the country.”

McInnis, Kathleen J., and Andrew Feickert. (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, August 17, 2021).
“After a rapid Taliban campaign to capture cities and territories formerly controlled by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA), on August 15, 2021, the Taliban took Kabul and the President of GIRoA, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country. Information regarding the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and U.S. troop numbers is fluid and should be treated with caution. This Insight, which may be updated as circumstances warrant, is intended to assist Congress as it considers the military and defense implications of the withdrawal while events unfold.”

Landing page for CFR analysis and commentary about Afghanistan.

Maizland, Lindsay. (New York, NY: Council on Foreign Relations, August 17, 2021).
"The U.S. overthrow of the Taliban regime after the 9/11 attacks ushered in a massive nation-building project. Nine graphics show what changed in Afghanistan over the past two decades."

(New York, NY: Council on Foreign Relations, August 17, 2021).
A timeline.

Episode of “Why It Matters?” from the Council on Foreign Relations. August 19, 2021, streaming audio, 29:57.

Episode of “The World Next Week” from the Council on Foreign Relations. August 19, 2021, streaming audio, 36:29.
"Afghans await what will follow the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul, foreign capitals grapple with the consequences of the collapse of Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government, and recriminations fly in the United States over the Taliban’s return to power.”

Hakimi, Hameed. (London, UK: Chatham House, August 17, 2021).

Dwan, Renata. (London, UK: Chatham House, August 20, 2021).

(The Hague: The Netherlands, August 17, 2021).
"The developments in Afghanistan are changing rapidly. To navigate through the latest news and place the happenings in a broader perspective, we have created a compilation of our latest articles and 'in the media' expert comments.”

Guéhenno, Jean-Marie. (London, UK: European Council on Foreign Relations, August 19, 2021).

Oertel, Janka, and Andrew Small. (London, UK: European Council on Foreign Relations, August 5, 2021).
"The security situation in Afghanistan has been worsening since the United States and its European allies decided to withdraw from the decades-long mission in the country. Following conversations between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Taliban leaders, many observers see an opportunity for China to enhance its influence in the region. ECFR’s [European Council on Foreign Relations] Janka Oertel and Andrew Small discuss whether this assessment is correct, what China wants, and what all this means for Europe.”

Garrigues, Juan. (Barcelona, Spain: Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, August 2021).
“The Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan in recent weeks is partly the result of a strategy based on conceding significant local autonomy to the different factions within the movement. Governing the country effectively will prove far more difficult. The Taliban now face a series of challenging dilemmas.”

Episode of “Lowy Institute Conversations” from the Lowy Institute. August 17, 2021, streaming audio, 32:55.
“In this special episode of ‘Conversations,’ Herve Lemahieu speaks with Lowy Institute Middle East specialists Lydia Khalil and Rodger Shanahan on the capitulation of the Afghan government, the decisions and policy failures that led to this outcome, and what to expect from the Taliban back in power.”