Pakistan Taliban News & Analysis

Geopolitics Weekly (US-Venezuela Relations, France Debt Downgrade, Nepal Protests)

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This week we cover the deterioration of US-Venezuela relations in the wake of a US military strike on alleged drug traffickers; Fitch downgrading France sovereign debt to the lowest rating on record; a new government in Nepal after a wave of deadly protests; and signs of destabilization along the Afpak frontier.

The Historical Roots and Contemporary Dynamics of Extremism in Pakistan

Birds-eye view of Pakistan's Swat Valley; cc ResoluteSupportMedia, modified, https://flickr.com/photos/isafmedia/5013879903/in/photolist-8S6FSf-9pyXaP-8NvboN-SeszU1-2oW41KC-2oW2KQ3-2oW1Wq5-2oVXURa-pg7JJW-u4FDTy-8D4rPe-8R8bqP-9ghnVq-8XT6Fd-2oW4xLt-8zZMGC-8ARXE2-btJZ96-aRwyX4-8WGTsT-2n3pSGC-8XTzM3-8JWi1F-2oW42a5-9ge4mt-8zZMGj-8ARZ8c-boNxGt-8XQxQK-8WGUPB-8WGSJr-9pJybY-8JZq2f-9pyVKt-8WGUp2-8AV5mo-8AUYh3-eYE4BG-vGjhvd-8XdpuH-8QcvJb-8XdpG6-8NJnbD-8R8gUP-8JZokQ-8R8gV6-8M9VcE-8XQdND-8GMZ6F-8D4nT4

Examining the historical and geopolitical factors driving increased extremism in Pakistan.

The Making of ‘Terroristan’: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Pashtun Nationalism

cc erwinlux, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&limit=500&offset=0&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns12=1&ns14=1&ns100=1&ns106=1&search=pashtun+afghanistan+filetype%3Abitmap&advancedSearch-current={%22fields%22:{%22filetype%22:%22bitmap%22}}#/media/File:Mortar_attack_on_Shigal_Tarna_garrison,_Kunar_Province,_87_(1to1).jpg

Conventional assessments of the Pashtunwali social code and the history of the Pashtun region tend to overlook the geopolitical and colonial factors that fueled the rise of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan Careens toward State Collapse

An aerial view of a town surrounded by flood water as U.S. Marine pilots from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit begin their landing approach to deliver food supplies in support of the Pakistan flood relief effort in Pano Aqil, Pakistan, Sept. 14. 55th Combat Camera Photo by Staff Sgt. Wayne Gray Date: 09.14.2010 Location: PANO AQIL AIR FIELD , PK

Amid mounting economic and military pressure, Pakistan is staring down an existential crisis.

Baloch Conflict: No Longer a Low-Level Insurgency

A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying Pakistani civilians is shown during an evacuation flight over a mountain pass in Pakistan Aug. 5, 2010. Humanitarian relief and evacuation missions are being conducted as part of the disaster relief efforts to assist Pakistanis in flood-stricken regions of the nation. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Horace Murray, U.S. Army/Released)

Pakistan’s Balochistan insurgency has become more lethal, widespread, and varied over the course of 2022.

Quetta Hotel Attack: CPEC in the Pakistan Taliban’s Crosshairs?

Photo from the aftermath of a 2016 bombing attack in Quetta. modified, cc Voice of America, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?sort=last_edit_desc&search=quetta+bomb+filetype%3Abitmap&title=Special%3ASearch&profile=advanced&fulltext=1&advancedSearch-current=%7B%22fields%22%3A%7B%22filetype%22%3A%22bitmap%22%7D%7D&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns14=1#/media/File:August_2016_Quetta_attacks_army.jpg

Was the targeting of China’s ambassador a coincidence, or does it represent a change of tact on the part of the Pakistan Taliban?

Alienation and Insurgency in Baluchistan

Balochistan, cc Flickr umairadeeb,modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

What is behind the ongoing unrest in Pakistan’s Baluchistan region?

Existential Narratives in the Early Years of Modern Pakistan

Sh. Rajiv Gandhi with Mr. Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq, President of Pakistan, cc Flickr Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

From its birth, the state of Pakistan has always been a work in process.

The Great Game Revived: Pakistan’s Interests in Afghanistan

PakistanGrungeFlag, cc Flickr Nicolas Raymond, Flickr, Modified, http://freestock.ca/flags_maps_g80-pakistan_grunge_flag_p1062.html, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

With a US pullout likely, regional players are scrambling to shore up their long-term interests in Afghanistan. This article examines the military and economic objectives driving Pakistan’s foreign policy there.

Belt and Rage: China Consulate Attacked in Karachi

Chinaflag, cc Nicholas Raymond, modified, http://freestock.ca/flags_maps_g80-china_grunge_flag_p1029.html

The attack in Karachi reflects animosity toward Chinese investment in Pakistan’s tribal regions. It may also be a sign of things to come.

Is Pakistan’s PM Imran Riding the Tiger?

PakistanKhAn, cc Flickr Chatham House, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Pakistan's state institutions have long nurtured religious fundamentalism, but sooner or later the chickens will come home to roost.

Backgrounder: 2018 Pakistan Elections

PakistanElectionProcession, cc Flickr Wasif Malik, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Millions of Pakistanis will head to the polls on July 25 to elect a new government, braving a wave of election-related violence across the country.

The Afghanistan War under Trump

USArmy, cc Flickr The U.S. Army, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

President Trump has ruled out negotiations with the Taliban just as a BBC study revealed the militant group’s sprawling presence over large swathes of Afghanistan.

Will Trump Sink US-Pakistan Relations in 2018?

President Trump at 2017 CPAC, Flickr Gage Skidmore, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

President Trump has one of the United States’ most dysfunctional relationships in his crosshairs.

Trump to Decide on America’s Longest War

TrumpGage, cc Flickr, Gage Skidmore, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The Trump administration is mulling a fresh new approach to the Afghanistan quagmire: giving up.

Pakistan-US Relations: Self-Denial is the Biggest Threat to World Peace

Generated by Google Gemini on August 4, 2025.

Warped views on both sides of the bilateral equation are acting as a destabilizing force.

Taliban Leader Mansour Killed in US Drone Strike

cc Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour Shah Muhammad (1968 - May 21, 2016), also known as Mullah Mansour, was the Emir of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and former leader of the Taliban after the death of Mullah Omar, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7_%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1_%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1.png

The removal of Taliban leader Mullah Mansour will resonate in the AfPak region for years to come.

Pathankot Attack Hints at a Power Struggle in Pakistan

Generated by Google Gemini on July 28, 2025.

It appears as if the power struggle between the civilian government and the security services is gathering steam in Pakistan.

Pakistan Offensive Risks Squandering Opportunity of TTP Split

Abstraction of Helicopter and Pakistan flag, Generated by Google Gemini on August 4, 2025.

Last month’s attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi has all but ensured that government-led peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are over.

Sharif and the Pakistan Taliban: Peace Talks Loss is Washington’s Gain

cc Office of the Press Secretary, US Federal Government / President Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan After Bilateral Meeting on October 23, 2013 /https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nawazobama.jpg

Taking a look at recent peace talks between the government and the Pakistan Taliban, and asks whether they were doomed to begin with.

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