28 Jul 2023
Far from the limelight, forgotten Afghans continue the fight
Accounts from Kabul hold lessons on how easily the world moves on, and some takeaways for Ukraine.
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6 May 2022
Australia can stand up for the Afghan people, and the time is now
Canberra should signal to the world that we’re all better off in a community of nations where human dignity matters. -
31 Dec 2021
Taliban takeover – Best of The Interpreter 2021
The US withdrawal was telegraphed months beforehand, but the speed of the Taliban advance still came as a shock. -
29 Nov 2021
The Doha accord and Taliban legitimacy
Afghanistan’s new government has a full deck of cards to play in the security concerns of regional neighbours. -
10 Sep 2021
The many consequences of a clear blue day on 11 September, 2001
The butterfly effect of the global war on terror has had far-reaching impacts on the freedoms it was meant to defend. -
9 Sep 2021
An Afghan test leaves Australia’s principles wanting
A cricket match offered a field to engage on rights issues but instead the government further isolated the Taliban. -
7 Sep 2021
The evolving Taliban-ISK rivalry
With the US withdrawal, the Taliban must decide if cooperating with an old enemy could risk losing to a new one. -
6 Sep 2021
Turbulence, the Taliban, and Turkey’s role in Afghanistan’s future
A role supporting operations at Kabul airport looks to offer Recep Tayyip Erdoğan more risks than rewards. -
26 Aug 2021
Economic diplomacy: After Kabul, Australia looks to India
Australia has a lower war-to-aid ratio, but the US is more transparent about its failure against the Taliban. -
26 Aug 2021
What’s in a name? The Taliban and recognition under international law
Formal recognition as a legitimate government may be a bargaining chip to press the Taliban to respect human rights. -
25 Aug 2021
Afghanistan holds lessons for American power in Asia
The US will one day ask the same question about its presence in Asia that it did of Afghanistan: is it still worth it? -
24 Aug 2021
India fears a poison harvest from Afghanistan
The Taliban takeover forces a regional realignment and has left New Delhi wondering about its past investment. -
23 Aug 2021
The world must evacuate women police in Afghanistan
The international community trained local women to put their lives on the line but has now abandoned them to danger. -
19 Aug 2021
Decoding intelligence on Afghanistan
An official inquiry should answer much wider questions about the US mission than only those of the final few weeks. -
18 Aug 2021
Afghanistan’s collapse shifts strategic dynamics in South Asia
If the Taliban’s return is seen a plus for Pakistan, India appears to be the loser. -
17 Aug 2021
What to do after the Taliban take-over
The foreign troops might be gone but Afghanistan is still our responsibility. -
16 Aug 2021
Kabul has fallen and so have we
Defeat in Afghanistan is not only a military one, but of the commitment professed by the “international community”. -
16 Aug 2021
Afghanistan: the right time to leave
There was no “low cost” solution for the United States other than endless conflict. -
10 Aug 2021
Afghanistan: Russia faces its own risks and uncertainty
Regional instability, refugee flows, extremism, and zero appetite for warfare temper Russia’s stance on Afghanistan. -
5 Aug 2021
Is Pakistan fuelling a Taliban takeover?
The Afghan government points a finger at Pakistan in a tactic to divert attention from its own colossal failures. -
3 Aug 2021
Man on a mission: Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
The removal of US troops from Afghanistan was in Joe Biden’s sights long before he was president. But what next? -
13 Jul 2021
Afghanistan, Australia and the visa conundrum
What responsibility does the government have for those on the periphery of the Australian campaign in Afghanistan? -
12 Jul 2021
Abandoning Afghanistan won’t bring peace
The pledge of a “a responsible end” to America’s involvement in Afghanistan’s war will likely have the opposite effect. -
22 Jun 2021
Standing with Afghanistan: Inclusion and women’s rights in peace talks
Australia, and the world, must insist that negotiations safeguard women’s rights, else talk of peace will be empty. -
29 Mar 2021
An interim government would bring ruin to Afghanistan
A US proposal to dissolve the Afghan administration risks a tragic repeat of the past. -
23 Feb 2021
Afghanistan: To leave or not to leave
Under the Doha deal, US forces are meant to be out of the country in mere weeks. Either way, peace appears far off. -
7 Dec 2020
The Afghan inquiry and the question of responsibility
Agitating for a big scalp only distracts from reflecting on what the Brereton report actually uncovered. -
20 Nov 2020
Australia’s mission in Afghanistan – what was it again?
Nothing can reduce the responsibility of individuals. But the political context for a “forever war” is relevant, too. -
10 Nov 2020
A chance for the US to change its tune on justice
Will American hostility to the International Criminal Court, and exception from it, shift under a Biden administration? -
7 May 2020
With US Afghan exit, Russia eyes Central Asian security
An unstable Afghanistan threatens all kinds of trouble for its neighbours. For Russia, it may be a golden opportunity. -
12 Dec 2019
Afghan peace is elusive but not impossible
With the renewed possibility of talks between the government and the Taliban, how can they be set up to succeed? -
18 Sep 2019
Afghanistan – what’s next?
Talks or not, none of the scenarios for the immediate future of Afghanistan are good. -
1 Feb 2019
US, Taliban, Afghanistan peace talks: timing is critical
<p>Should the US agree to a full pull-out of its troops, Afghanistan may fall into the chaos of the past.</p> -
28 Aug 2017
Trump’s Afghanistan policy: Best in 16 years
The Afghanistan Army, if widely mentored and well supported by its own intelligence and air and ground fire support, could have a significant effect on the Taliban in one to two years.