Articles

From Kabul to Khyber: Tracing the Shift in Poppy Cultivation from Afghan Fields to Pakistan’s Borderlands

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is not a recent development; it has been practiced for decades and remains a vital source of livelihood for many in the region. Its expansion can largely be attributed to the failure of state institutions....

May 21, 2025 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Afghanistan , Taliban , Geopolitics , Drug trade , Poppy Cultivation , Ban on Poppy Farming , Clandestine Networks , Afghan Farmers

Afghanistan in 2024: A Year of Diplomacy, Economic Challenges, and Humanitarian Crises under Taliban 2.0

Dr Angana Kotokey, Research Associate, VIF Article

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has found itself at the centre of complex geopolitical dynamics. The Taliban's resurgence as Afghanistan's ruling regime is marked by a mix of isolationism and selective engage....

February 20, 2025 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , economy , Afghanistan , Diplomacy , Humanitarian Crisis , 2024

Three Years of Taliban Governance: Evaluating Changes and Challenges in Afghanistan

Dr Angana Kotokey, Research Associate, VIF Article

Unanticipated but the Taliban have completed their three years in power in Afghanistan since the United States' chaotic withdrawal in August 2021, ending twenty years of conflict in the country. After grand celebrations marked at Kabul’s former US ....

September 06, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , Afghanistan , Islamic Emirate , Three Years in Power

Interaction with the Joint Secretary of MEA, J.P Singh

On 01 August, the Joint Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs, J.P Singh visited the Vivekananda International Foundation to brief on the Third Doha Meeting on Afghanistan which took place at Doha. The meeting was attended by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Di....

August 08, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Interaction , Afghanistan , MEA , Taliban , Third Doha Meeting

Between Isolation and Engagement: The Afghan Taliban’s Diplomatic Dilemma

Dr Angana Kotokey, Research Associate, VIF Article

Introduction

With the Afghan Taliban back as the new rulers of Kabul since August 2021, the regime has found itself caught in a diplomatic conundrum—maintaining isolationism on the one hand and engaging bilaterally with its regional ne....

June 13, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , Afghanistan , Taliban , Engagement , Isolationism

Interaction with Delegation from the UNAMA

On 19 April, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) delegation led by Ms Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Afghanistan and Head of the UNAMA visited the Vivekananda International Fo....

April 24, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Interaction , Afghanistan , Taliban , UNAMA

India’s Strategic Diplomacy: Navigating India’s Engagement with the Taliban Regime in Afghanistan

Dr Angana Kotokey, Research Associate, VIF Article

Following the visit of an Indian delegation to Afghanistan in March 2024, there was much speculation across academia as well as policy circles on India’s relations with the present government in Afghanistan, as India embarked on expanding its engag....

April 19, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , India , Afghanistan , Taliban , Relations , People-to-People connections , Strategic concerns

Climate Change & Environmental Degradation: Impacts of War in Afghanistan

Dr Anchita Borthakur Article

Introduction

In the beginning of this month (February 2024) a three-day international conference on climate change was organized by the Nangarhar University situated in Jalalabad, the capital city of the eastern Nangarhar province of Afgh....

February 29, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , War , Afghanistan , Climate Change , environmental degradation , Drought , Landmines , Military Burn Pits , War Induced Deforestation , Karez System , Napalm

Taliban Interim Administration: A Review of its Regional Engagements in 2023

Dr Angana Kotokey, Research Associate, VIF Article

Introduction

The year 2023 marks the second anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul. After more than two years of the takeover, Afghanistan is still in the middle of a deep humanitarian crisis and a grappling economy amids....

January 30, 2024 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , Pakistan , China , Iran , Taliban , Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

The Deportation of the Afghan Refugees from Iran

Dr Angana Kotokey, Research Associate, VIF Article

Introduction

In recent developments, it has been observed that large scale deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran is in process, after Abdul Rahman Rashid, the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation in Afghanistan, announced that more th....

December 28, 2023 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , Article , Iran , Afghanistan , Afghan refugees , Afghan Immigration