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.

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.

In the debut episode of Talibanology, host Tamim Asey sits down with Dr. Hassan Abbas—renowned scholar of the Taliban and South Asian security—for a gripping conversation on the internal dynamics of the Taliban regime. We unpack rival power centres within the Emirate, governance challenges, economic sustainability, and the group’s regional strategy and ties to terrorist networks.

We also explore provocative questions: What would happen if the Taliban Emir were assassinated? How does the normalization of former jihadists like Ahmad Sharaa impact Taliban thinking? Is internal revolt brewing, and can the Afghan diaspora play a meaningful role in shaping a political future?

A must-listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the opaque world of Taliban rule.