Publication

This CSS Analysis takes stock of the security situation in Afghanistan and contends that the ongoing violence in the country is about to intensify further. Some of the reasons for this expected spike are 1) the current leadership struggles within the Taliban; 2) al-Qaida’s attempts to reassert its credibility following the rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS); 3) the defections of former Taliban members to IS; 4) the economic struggles in Afghanistan; and 5) assorted other factors that are undermining the prospects for a negotiated peace between the Taliban and Afghan government.