Leaving Afghanistan
What happens after the forever war ends?
The Year Kabul Fell Again
A stunning Taliban takeover left Afghanistan—and the world—transformed.
Why the Taliban Still Love Suicide Bombing
The group is normalizing death and despair in the Islamic Emirate.
U.N., World Bank Under Pressure to Offer Aid to Afghanistan
The existing sanctions regime on Taliban leaders makes it hard for the world to help the Afghan people.
Afghan Refugees Get Cold Welcome in Pakistan
The Taliban takeover has pushed many Afghans over the border and into another kind of limbo.
Taliban takeover
Taliban Splintered by Internal Divisions, External Spoilers
Pakistan said to be supporting alternative jihadi groups to undermine the Taliban and maintain leverage over Afghanistan.
12 Million Angry Men
The Taliban promised justice. They are hard-pressed to provide it.
The Taliban Don’t Need the West
Afghanistan’s new rulers have shown themselves to be skilled—and ruthless—diplomats. 
The Taliban’s Sharia Is the Most Brutal of All
The Afghan government is imposing punishments that have no comparison elsewhere in the Islamic world.
Regional dynamics
Qatari Diplomat: ‘There’s a Serious Need for Engagement’ With the Taliban
Qatar’s assistant foreign minister discussed the Taliban, the need for a clear road map, and Afghanistan’s uncertain future.
Afghanistan Is No Treasure Trove for China
The country’s mineral wealth remains largely theoretical.
Afghanistan Is a Bigger Headache for Tehran Than It Is Letting On
Iran cheered the U.S. withdrawal but is nervously hedging its bets with the Taliban.
Pakistan’s Friendship With the Taliban Is Changing
Expect a recalibration of the relationship by both sides now the Taliban are in power.
Refugee crisis
Will Afghan Refugees Stranded in Southeast Asia Be Resettled?
After the fall of Kabul, some countries are opening their doors. Afghans who have been stuck in Malaysia and Indonesia for years are hoping that they will not be forgotten.
The United States Needs an Afghan Refugee Resettlement Act
Legislation passed in the wake of the Vietnam War could provide a blueprint for today’s policymakers.
Biden Sparked a Refugee Crisis. He Must Help Europe Bear the Cost.
The chaotic U.S. withdrawal has already led thousands of Afghans to flee.
How to Avoid Humanitarian Catastrophe in Afghanistan
The Biden administration should maximize diplomacy and prioritize support for front-line organizations.
Women in Afghanistan
School’s Out in the Taliban’s Afghanistan
The Taliban say modern education is of no use as the country heads toward economic meltdown and starvation.
The Tragic Fate of Afghanistan’s Journalists
Many are fleeing or in hiding. Women, some locked out of their outlets, are in particular danger.
‘They Left Us to the Taliban’
Six Afghan women describe their feelings of fear, anger, and betrayal in the wake of America’s departure.
In Taliban’s New Afghan Emirate, Women Are Invisible
“All the women of Afghanistan have one fear, the Taliban,” said former deputy defense minister Munera Yousufzada.
Latest Stories
Taliban Takeover Seen as a Boon for Human Smugglers
Along one part of the Turkish border, hundreds of new Afghan migrants show up every day.
After Afghanistan Collapse, Iraqis Fear They Could Be Next
The parallels are easy to list.
Expedited Visas for Vulnerable Afghans? Many Have Been Waiting for Years.
Why the special immigration system is broken.
China’s Neighbors Hope Afghanistan Pullout Means Pivot to Indo-Pacific
With the withdrawal completed, Washington’s strategic shift can commence.
A Taliban Takeover Will Strengthen Pakistan’s Jihadis
Islamabad cheered the fall of Kabul, but the new Afghan regime will embolden domestic terrorist groups that could threaten the Pakistani state.
After the Debacle: Six Concrete Steps to Restore U.S. Credibility
Each has bipartisan support and could be taken in short order.
U.S. Officials Rushed to Kabul Airport to Help Evacuation
Thousands of Americans and Afghans are still stranded in what lawmakers are calling a fiasco.
Two Talibans Are Competing for Afghanistan
The gap between the group’s international leadership and its rank-and-file fighters has never been wider.
Pakistani Ambassador: ‘Terrorism Is Our Concern as Much as It Is Your Concern’
Envoy says Washington and Islamabad now have a common interest in stopping the Taliban from exporting violence.
Why Iran Will Welcome the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
Tehran’s Shiite regime has strategic, economic, ideological, and ecological reasons for backing Sunni extremists.
Post-American Afghanistan and India’s Geopolitics
The fall of Kabul accelerates a fundamental realignment that was already underway.
Caution and Schadenfreude in Moscow as the U.S. Moment in Afghanistan Ends
Russia signals an openness to working with the Taliban.
Biden’s Democracy Agenda Just Died an Ugly Death in Kabul
The fall of Afghanistan reveals hard truths about U.S. human rights talks.
Fear and Uncertainty Grip Kabul
The Taliban pledge an orderly transition, but many residents are bracing for retribution.
China Won’t Repeat America’s Mistakes in Afghanistan
Beijing wants stability. That could serve some U.S. ends.
I’m a Democrat Who Opposed the Withdrawal. This Catastrophe Is Why.
At minimum, Biden owed our allies in Afghanistan a plan.