Talibanology: Power, People and Policies

Tamim Asey

A podcast that deconstructs internal power dyamics and policy shifts within the Taliban Emirate. A deep dive into the power, people and policies of the Emirate.

Episodes

  1. 09/18/2025

    SPECIAL EPISODE: The Unbroken Bond: Dr. Sara Harmouch on Taliban–Al Qaeda Alliance After Doha Agreement and Their Quest for Drones, WMDs and External Operations.

    In this special episode of Talibanology, host Tamim Asey sits down with Dr. Sara Harmouch a leading terrorism expert and founder of H9 Defense and a Ph.D holder from the American University. She is a national security expert and counterterrorism researcher, she focuses on Islamist militant groups, irregular warfare, alliance dynamics, non-state actors’ behavior and their interactions with state actors. Raised in Lebanon and native in Arabic and French, she brings firsthand experience and fieldwork across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe—engaging directly with members of extremist groups. Harmouch has briefed OSD, NATO, the State Department, Army Futures Command, and the Office of Net Assessment, and presented at West Point, Modern War Institute, and the 9/11 Memorial. Dr. Harmouch in this episode tries to unravel the dark and often overlooked dimensions of Taliban–Al-Qaeda relations. From their evolving partnership after the Doha Agreement to signs of Al-Qaeda’s rebuilding under Taliban protection Dr. Harmouch offers a rare and penetrating look at whether Afghanistan is once again becoming a global jihadist sanctuary. We also examine the risk of Al-Qaeda regaining external operational capability from Afghan soil and explore the long-standing ambitions of both groups to acquire weapons of mass destruction now potentially supercharged by emerging technologies such as LLMs and other amplifying technologies and in addition their quest to silently acquire long-range drones as well. This is a gripping and in-depth discussion on the nexus of ideology, strategy and technology in modern jihadist threats. Must listen.

    48 min
  2. 08/06/2025

    Episode 8. The Emir’s Labyrinth: Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown on the Taliban Emirate's Factions, Fiefdoms and Fragile Control

    What keeps the Taliban’s grip on power so firm—and what might unravel it from within? In this gripping season finale of Talibanology, host Tamim Asey is joined by Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a leading authority on non-state armed actors, insurgent governance and illicit economies. As Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Director of several cutting-edge initiatives including: - Director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors - Director of The Fentanyl Epidemic in North America and the Global Reach of  Synthetic Opioids, and - Co-Director of the Africa Security Initiative.  Dr. Felbab-Brown has spent years analyzing the Taliban’s shadowy networks, battlefield adaptations and criminal survival strategies. Together, we lift the veil on: •The internal power dynamics of the Taliban leadership. •Hidden factional rifts, rivalries and generational divides. •The regime’s growing narco economy and its regional enablers. •The ISKP threat and Taliban counterterrorism posturing. •The implications of Russia’s recognition and other creeping legitimization efforts. •The U.S. policy dilemma: contain, engage or ignore? Tune in for a rare 360-degree diagnosis of Taliban rule—from a scholar who has studied their metamorphosis up close, from insurgency to statecraft, from jihad to geopolitics. 🎧 Available now on Apple, Spotify and all major platforms.

    1h 14m
  3. 07/21/2025

    Episode 7. Mapping the Shadow Caliphate: Dr. Amira Jadoon on ISKP, the Taliban and the South Asian Militant Maze

    In this episode of Talibanology, host Tamim Asey is joined by Professor Dr. Amira Jadoon, Associate Professor at Clemson University and one of the foremost authorities on terrorism and insurgency dynamics in South and Central Asia. Drawing from her groundbreaking book The Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Strategic Alliances and Rivalries (2023), Dr. Jadoon guides us through the complex and shifting landscape of jihadist militancy across the region. We delve into the rise of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), its evolving strategy, and its fierce rivalry with the Taliban, as well as the broader militant ecosystem shaping South Asia’s security future. From battlefield tactics to propaganda wars and from local alliances to international spillover attacks this episode maps the contours of an increasingly dangerous militant maze. Key Topics Covered: •ISKP’s current operational strength and territorial presence in Afghanistan and beyond •The Taliban’s intelligence and counterterrorism campaign — how effective is the GDI? •ISKP’s ideological and organisational links with Islamic State Central •The propaganda and narrative war between ISKP and the Taliban •The role of regional actors, including Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian states, in shaping or responding to the ISKP-Taliban rivalry •ISKP’s transnational operations, including attacks in Russia, Iran, and potential future theatres Tune in for a timely, deeply analytical conversation that connects field research, strategic insight and regional complexity—only on Talibanology.

    57 min
  4. 06/16/2025

    Episode 3. The Emir’s Iron Fist: War, Surveillance and the Taliban’s Secret State

    In this episode of Talibanology, we are joined by leading insurgency expert Dr. Antonio Giustozzi, author of The Taliban at War, The Islamic State in Khorasan, and Empires of Mud, to dissect the secretive architecture of Taliban power—its military evolution, intelligence apparatus, and internal security logic. We explore five critical themes: 1.Militia in Uniform? The Myth and Reality of Taliban Military Transformation Has the Taliban truly transformed from a fragmented militia into an organised national army—or is it still a network of local commanders and fighters draped in the façade of a professional force? 2.The Rise of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) How was the Taliban’s internal intelligence body built? Is it a serious institutional actor or an ideological enforcer mimicking the statecraft of former Afghan regimes? 3.Guerrilla Logic in a State’s Clothing Has the Taliban adapted its insurgent mindset to state governance—or is it simply repackaging guerrilla doctrine under the guise of a functioning state? 4.The ISKP Threat and the Taliban’s Counterinsurgency Playbook Is the Taliban genuinely concerned about ISKP’s rise, or does it exaggerate the threat to tighten its own grip on power and extract concessions from the international community? 5.Surveillance, Suspicion, and Internal Control How much of the Emirate’s intelligence infrastructure is devoted to monitoring its own ranks? Are paranoia and factionalism quietly tearing through the Taliban from within? Finally, we ask: Is reform within the Taliban even possible—or is the only real path to change through an internal implosion or the removal of the Emir himself? Dr. Giustozzi brings decades of field research and piercing analysis to help us make sense of a regime that rules by fear, secrecy, and a state-in-the-making security complex. Tune in to this unflinching look at how the Taliban governs—not just through guns and decrees but through spies, suspicion and silence.

    1h 4m
  5. 06/12/2025

    Episode 2: The Cloak and Kalashnikov Diplomacy - Mullahs, Militias and the Making of the Taliban Emirate Foreign Policy

    In this episode of Talibanology, host Tamim Asey sits down with the brilliant Dr. Jennifer Murtazashvili, Director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh and author of Informal Order and the State in Afghanistan. A leading thinker on governance and post-conflict statecraft, Dr. Murtazashvili brings deep insight into the intersection of local authority, foreign engagement and Afghan political futures. Together, they explore the Taliban’s evolving foreign policy and ask: •Does the Taliban have a grand strategy—or is it just playing whack-a-mole with the world? •Who truly drives external relations—Kandahar clerics, Kabul-based technocrats, or the Haqqani network? They map out the regional chessboard: •How are Central Asia, China, Russia, and India recalibrating their engagement with the Emirate? •Has Pakistan moved from patron to frustrated neighbour? The conversation also covers: •The role of Qatar and the UN as Western and U.S. conduits to the Taliban •The evolving U.S. policy toward the Emirate post-withdrawal •The status and potential role of the Afghan diaspora in shaping Afghanistan’s future Finally, they confront the central question: Is the Taliban reformable, or simply waiting out global pressure with “strategic patience”? A wide-ranging, no-holds-barred conversation you won’t want to miss.

    1 hr

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A podcast that deconstructs internal power dyamics and policy shifts within the Taliban Emirate. A deep dive into the power, people and policies of the Emirate.