Analysis & Opinion
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Bin Salman-Trump Meeting Signals Saudi Push for Defense Pact and Strategic Guarantees
DID Press: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States and his high-profile meeting with President Donald Trump is more than a diplomatic engagement—it represents the intersection of Saudi ambitions and the strategic goals of the Trump…
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Chabahar Port Emerges as Key Transit Alternative for Afghanistan
DID Press: Afghanistan’s trade with Iran reached $1.6 billion over the past six months, surpassing trade with Pakistan by half a billion dollars during the same period, according to Abdulsalam Jawad Akhundzada, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce. The figures…
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Afghanistan Turns to Alternative Trade Corridors to Boost Leverage Over Pakistan
DID Press: The visit of Nooruddin Azizi, Taliban caretaker government’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, to Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province — and his focus on expanding transit through Chabahar — signals a coordinated strategy by Kabul to replace trade…
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Trump vs BBC: Allegations of Manipulated News Spark Media Shakeup
DID Press: Trump threatened to take the BBC to court for manipulating his words and demanded $1 billion in damages. We also know that the BBC’s Director-General and the head of its news division resigned immediately after Trump’s complaint. The…
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Taliban Spokesman Interview with IRIB: From Promises to Reality in Afghanistan
DID Press: Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, recently gave an interview to Iran’s state media, providing an opportunity to present the government’s positions and claims. However, several key points and evident gaps in his statements raise serious questions…
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Positive Change in Afghanistan Is Possible, but Gradual, Fragile and Homegrown
DID Press: Despite severe restrictions, analytical reporting by The Diplomat emphasizes that processes of social adaptation, local resilience, and gradual transformation are emerging in Afghanistan, potentially charting a path for positive change. Four years after the Taliban’s return to power,…
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Afghanistan, Iran Urged to Cooperate on Water Management amid Climate Change
DID Press: As climate change intensifies across the region, Afghanistan and Iran face mounting environmental and humanitarian challenges tied to declining rainfall, rising temperatures, and the drying of rivers and wetlands. Experts say the two neighbors must move toward broader…
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Persian and Dari: One Language, Divided by Colonial Politics
DID Press: Persian is a language spoken across a vast region covering Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, with diverse dialectal branches such as Iranian Persian, Afghan Persian (Dari), and Tajik Persian. The differences among these varieties are mainly limited to local…
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Durand Line: 130-Year-Old Border Still Shaping South Asia’s Politics and Security
The Durand Line, signed on November 12, 1893, between Amir Abdul Rahman Khan of Afghanistan and Sir Henry Mortimer Durand of the British Empire, remains one of South Asia’s most enduring and controversial borders. Intended to define spheres of influence…
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Hosting Syria’s Al-Julani in Washington Signals Regional Realignment
DID Press: The recent visit of Ahmad Shar’a — better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani — head of Syria’s new interim government, to Washington marks a pivotal moment in reshaping the Middle East’s geopolitical balance. Although officially described as a…
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