It would be naïve to assume that Ankara or Washington spent millions of dollars for years financing and arming the "Syrian opposition" simply because of their selfless love of democracy. Their investments ...

Pakistan is one of the few countries whose realist approach to regional actors in South Asia—especially Afghanistan—dates back to the very establishment of the country. The strong presence of the military ...

A comprehensive analysis of the tension between India and Pakistan in 2025 and the role of regional actors such as the Taliban, China, and the United States. This article examines the upcoming and future ...

Central Asia remains in a state of constant concern over security developments in South Asia. This persistent anxiety and perception of threat could, in the medium term, undermine the viability of geo-...

A specialized conference titled "The Current Status of Iranian Culture and Civilization in Central Asia and Future Prospects" was hosted by the Institute for East Strategic Studies (IESS) with the participation ...

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the country’s international commitments has always been in the spotlight —often with a controversial edge. The Taliban’s formal announcement of Afghanistan’s ...

Assessing Afghanistan's developments over a one-year period is important for several reasons. Such evaluations are essential not only for analyzing the current state of the country but also for forecasting ...

Although the Biden administration maintained a seemingly distant relationship with Kabul after the Taliban’s return to power, Donald Trump broke this pattern by sending a delegation to Afghanistan, initiating ...

Although Nowruz is celebrated across all countries within the Nowruz cultural sphere, evidence suggests that its commemoration in Afghanistan, particularly in Balkh, differs significantly from other nations....

During Nowruz (the Persian New Year, literally means New Day), citizens of various regions of Turkmenistan engage in their traditional ceremonies. These include lighting fires (Şam-od) and jumping over ...

In the past, when the Taliban had not yet become a political and administrative structure, it was able to achieve its main goals through violence and war. However, In the post-conflict period, with the ...

The Iran-Tajikistan relationship presents several opportunities and challenges. The opportunities include the presence of a large majority of Persian-speaking and Iranian-origin populations, as well as ...

Relations between Taliban-led Afghanistan and Pakistan have been largely tense over the past three years. Recently, Pakistan’s civilian leadership appeared to recognize the strategic and economic costs ...

The completion and operation of the Bakhshabad Dam in Afghanistan threatens human security in the water sector. The countries that have decided to build the dam for Afghanistan will undoubtedly incur ...

Pakistan, a country with a unique ideological identity, has always been a battleground for tensions between secular and religious forces. Religious parties, with a long history and deep influence in politics ...

Understanding the behavior and perspective of the Taliban regarding developments in Syria requires a realistic grasp of their foreign policy approach. Officially, the Taliban government views itself as ...

the Institute of East Strategic Studies (IESS) hold A specialized event, titled "The Implications of the Syrian Crisis for Developments in Afghanistan and Central Asia", with the participation of domestic ...

The concept of intra-Afghan negotiations for achieving real peace in Afghanistan is a secondary and post-conflict process. In other words, the goal of negotiations is to transition from conflict to sustainable ...

General orientation of Trump’s foreign policy towards Central Asia reflects levels of both continuity and change in the region. The prominent feature of this strategy is its “pragmatism,” which could ...

In evaluating the Taliban rule’s performance in the last 3 years, there are two approaches: “government establishment” approach, and “fulfilling expectations” approach. Analysts who follow the “government ...