Stories about Afghanistan
China's impact on the Rogun Dam Project in Tajikistan
Tajikistan's Rogun Dam Project is one of the most ambitious hydroelectric projects in the world. Do the ballooning costs, environmental concerns, and human rights abuses outweigh the potential benefits?
Taliban bids on sports in Afghanistan to gain legitimacy at home and abroad
The calculated strategy of the Taliban to promote specific sports is aimed at projecting a sense of normalcy and asserting their authority.
What to make of the Taliban's increasing engagement with China
The multi billion dollar investment deals created an unprecedented buzz around the future of Chinese presence in Afghanistan.
The Taliban's devastating effect on journalists and press freedom in Afghanistan grows worse
Over half of 600 media outlets have ceased operations. A significant number of journalists and media personnel, particularly women, have either lost their jobs or been coerced into leaving the country.
Kyrgyzstan's national game, kok-boru, continues to attract new fans around the world
The turning point for kok-boru’s popularity beyond Central Asia came with the first World Nomad Games (WNG) hosted by Kyrgyzstan in 2014.
Musicians in Afghanistan live in fear and despair amid the Taliban ban on music
"Taliban have transformed Afghanistan into a place deprived of music and art. They transformed it into a quiet, dumb country."
Afghanistan’s women in agriculture face limitations and challenges
Empowering women farmers is essential for the economic development and food security of Afghanistan.
Sanctions against violators of women’s rights: A political lens
Emphasizing humanitarian aid and empowering women's self-determination and autonomy might be a better approach to creating meaningful change for women and girls than sanctions as a sole strategy.
Anti-Taliban groups come together and call to resist with all means
As the international community is starting to discuss how to engage with the Taliban, the importance of the Vienna conference will continue to grow.
Undertones in Afghanistan: ‘Taliban 2.0,’ Women, Resistance
Researchers share some of the strongest narratives that have circulated in Afghanistan this year
As peace and prosperity unravel, Central Asia braces for a surge of forced labor and sexual slavery
Economic crises, cuts in public spending and subsequent unemployment are commonly regarded as the factors that aggravate the risks for vulnerable groups of population to fall prey to human trafficking
The poet's mindset as a tool against transphobia: An interview with US veteran and trans activist Drew Pham
Global Voices talked to Drew Pham, a former US Afghan War veteran, who shares her experience as a trans woman, but also a poet, sex artist and educator.
Podcast: Central Asia adjusts to the effects of geopolitical turmoil
Central Asia Editor Zhar Zardykhan explains how the turmoil in Afghanistan and Ukraine are both affecting Central Asian countries.
Central Asia’s fears of rising militancy in Afghanistan as Moscow invades Ukraine
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the three Central Asian states that border Afghanistan intended to defend their borders through security reinforcement and diplomacy, primarily relying on Russian initiatives.
Hong Kong’s press freedom plunged from satisfactory to a ‘difficult situation’ in a matter of years
Hong Kong’s ranking was dragged down by the enactment of the National Security Law and the prosecutions of journalists.
Ukraine's war unleashes flood of racism by media and politicians against Arab war victims
Comments on skin color, attire, class and lifestyle were seen as several media reporters and politicians explained why war on Ukraine was horrifying, compared to Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
Undertones: Taliban narratives about Afghan women
Dozens of Afghan women have publicly protested the Taliban’s gradual and systematic erasure of women from the public sphere since their return to power in August 2021.
Police violently break up Afghan refugee protest in Indonesia
Some refugees in Indonesia have been in limbo for more than 10 years. Protesters gathered outside the UNHCR building in Medan to call for resettlement and demand better living conditions.
Afghan women: Finally a book that speaks from inside its society
A female Afghan writer has just released "The Mountains Have Witnessed: The Story of a Girl Who Dared for More", a book that tells the story of Afghan women.
Paper lives: Turkey's trash collectors face deportations, arrests, and midnight raids
Istanbul police conducted raids on waste collectors' depots last month, allegedly to address potential health hazards, public security concerns, and the employment of unregistered migrants.
The Uyghur issue, China’s greatest fear, is looming in Afghanistan
As the Taliban and China seem to strengthen their ties, the tragedy of the Uyghurs imprisoned in China's so-called re-education camps could prove to be a diplomatic stumbling block.
