This annual flagship report, including 13 policy briefs, offers an alternative glimpse at the events and developments in and around Afghanistan, prioritizing timely and significant thematic and regional approaches. Obviously, the Taliban’s rapid surge into power in August 2021 and the subsequent measures to solidify their position reshaped relations with Afghanistan’s neighbours. Thematic analyses cover critical issues such as terrorism and extremism, humanitarian crises, transnational crime, as well as political and social problems stemming from Afghanistan. Additionally, sporadic efforts by the Taliban government to regulate the country’s economic situation are deeply analysed. The report also explores Afghanistan’s role as a centre for transport communications between its immediate and extended neighbours. Policy briefs highlight emerging concerns such as transboundary water issues and border conflicts between Afghanistan and its neighbours. Furthermore, the report underscores Afghanistan’s growing importance for Central Asian Republics (CAR) as an alternative transportation corridor diversifying away from traditional partners. Several papers assess CAR’s pragmatic foreign policy towards Afghanistan amid a challenging international environment where varying approaches to establishing formal relations with the Taliban prevail. Overall, the report presents ideas in an orthodox yet easily understandable manner, with historical events laid out chronologically to aid in understanding the contemporary developments.Download the report

With the beginning of 2024, primary elections are held in the United States, in which presidential candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties compete. Based on the results of the voting, candidates receive the support of delegates who will vote at the conventions of both parties in the summer to officially nominate their single candidate. The Democratic challenger must receive at least 1,968 of 3,934 delegate votes, and the Republican candidate must receive at least 1,215 of 2,429 delegate votes. After the “primaries” were held in more than 20 states, the obvious superiority of the main contenders emerged in both parties: Donald Trump and Joe Biden won the Republican and Democratic primaries, American media reported. Thus, they will soon be officially nominated for President of the United States by their parties. Donald Trump received 1247, Joe Biden - 2099 delegate votes. For the first time since 1912, a former US leader will challenge an incumbent. These dynamics determine key aspects of the election process, where individual states and the number of delegates play important roles.Download the review

The policy of Turkmenistan after the Taliban took control of Kabul and the entire territory of Afghanistan in August 2021 can be described as proactive, aimed at establishing constructive, working and mutually beneficial relations with the new authorities of the country. Meanwhile, Ashgabat sought to achieve three strategic goals - by establishing diplomatic contacts to secure its borders, to maintain access to the Afghan consumer market and to try to give new impetus to transport and energy projects, tied to Afghanistan.Download the report

Islam and the Muslim clergy have played an extremely important role in the history of Afghanistan. Only in the last three centuries since the creation of the Afghan state, Islam has played a consolidating role in the fight against British attempts at armed intervention. In the mid-70s of the twentieth century Islam was also used during an armed insurrection against M. Daoud, in which young leaders of the country's religious class played a key role. A few years later in 1979 political parties created by the young leaders of the clergy came out as a united front against the Soviet invasion and the pro-Soviet regime. Download the report

Afghanistan’s unique geographical position allows the country to be a link between Central and South Asia and the Middle East. However, for the last twenty years, during Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani’s reign such potential was not actually realised. This was largely seen as a consequence of the increasing year-on-year instability caused by the insurgent and terrorist activities of the Taliban and ISIS-Khorasan. It, thus, increased investment risks and threats related to the safety of cargo and the safety of personnel. At the same time, the Taliban’s take over the country in August 2021 and the cessation of large-scale hostilities in the country created the prerequisites for considering all the factors pros and cons of the likelihood of realising the transit potential of Afghanistan at a practical level. Download article

The radical change in the situation in Afghanistan, brought about by the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021, raised the question of the further development of the jihadist terrorist movements in the region, as well as the participation of citizens of Central Asian countries. Experts’ assessments, made immediately after the fall of Kabul, that Central Asia would be the target of direct coercive pressure from international groups, which would receive Taliban protection and funding, have not yet come true.Download report