afghanistan | Hurst Publishers

Is Lapis Lazuli fuelling conflict in Afghanistan?

A new report charges lapis lazuli smugglers with funding the Taliban and ISIS in Afghanistan. But traders should not be scapegoated, argues Magnus Marsden.

A natural salesman, the boy displays a collection of his finest Afghan carpets against the stunning backdrop of the Pamir Mountains.

Actually Existing Silk Roads

Western efforts to implement a ‘New Silk Road’ to bring stability and prosperity to Afghanistan are doomed to failure, ignoring as they do the myriad Actually Existing Silk Roads that Afghan traders have informally built, argues Magnus Marsden.

Crisis and confusion in Helmand

The British SAS have returned to Sangin district in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, ostensibly to tackle a resurgent Taliban offensive. Local dynamics belie this simplistic analysis, as Mike Martin explains.