Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Are Pakistan and Afghanistan heading for war? After years of rising tensions, recent cross-border clashes and drone strikes have marked the most serious confrontation between the two neighbours in decades. As the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continues to launch deadly attacks from Afghan soil, Islamabad has struck back with air and artillery strikes, with Kabul retaliating in kind. It wasn't always this way. Once close allies, Pakistan in the past helped bring the Afghan Taliban to power. Today, ties have collapsed over terrorist sanctuaries, Pashtun nationalism, the return of the Durand Line border dispute, and the Taliban's bid to cultivate closer ties with India.
In this video, I analyse the rising fears of a full-scale regional conflict, exploring how a long-standing alliance between Pakistan and the Taliban unravelled, taking into consideration the Soviet-Afghan war, the 2021 U.S. withdrawal and the Islamist group's return to power. The video explains how Pakistan’s support for insurgents ultimately backfired, and how ethnic divisions, rivalries with India, and proxy politics are threatening to destabilise South Asia. With casualties rising and international powers like China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar calling for restraint, could diplomacy still win the day or is the region set for full-on war?
*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:46 - Patron-Client Insurgencies: Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban
02:04 - Afghanistan and Pakistan: Location, Population, and the Pashtuns
03:08 - The Roots of Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions
05:04 - Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban, and the TTP
07:23 - Fighting Erupts Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
09:09 - Pakistan and Afghanistan: Ceasefire or War?
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Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know
Oxford University Press global.oup.com/academic/product/secession-and-state-creation-9780190494049
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#Pakistan #Afghanistan #Taliban
Are Pakistan and Afghanistan heading for war? After years of rising tensions, recent cross-border clashes and drone strikes have marked the most serious confrontation between the two neighbours in decades. As the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continues to launch deadly attacks from Afghan soil, Islamabad has struck back with air and artillery strikes, with Kabul retaliating in kind. It wasn't always this way. Once close allies, Pakistan in the past helped bring the Afghan Taliban to power. Today, ties have collapsed over terrorist sanctuaries, Pashtun nationalism, the return of the Durand Line border dispute, and the Taliban's bid to cultivate closer ties with India.
In this video, I analyse the rising fears of a full-scale regional conflict, exploring how a long-standing alliance between Pakistan and the Taliban unravelled, taking into consideration the Soviet-Afghan war, the 2021 U.S. withdrawal and the Islamist group's return to power. The video explains how Pakistan’s support for insurgents ultimately backfired, and how ethnic divisions, rivalries with India, and proxy politics are threatening to destabilise South Asia. With casualties rising and international powers like China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar calling for restraint, could diplomacy still win the day or is the region set for full-on war?
*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:46 - Patron-Client Insurgencies: Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban
02:04 - Afghanistan and Pakistan: Location, Population, and the Pashtuns
03:08 - The Roots of Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions
05:04 - Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban, and the TTP
07:23 - Fighting Erupts Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
09:09 - Pakistan and Afghanistan: Ceasefire or War?
*SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS*
If you enjoy the channel and would like to support independent analysis of international relations, conflict, and security, there are several ways you can help:
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
youtube.com/channel/UCEszqJb1FjYisBevHBIof3g
youtube.com/c/JamesKerLindsay?sub_confirmation=1
JOIN THE COMMUNITY AND BECOME A CHANNEL MEMBER
YouTube: youtube.com/c/JamesKerLindsay/join
Patreon: patreon.com/JamesKerLindsay
*MY LATEST BOOK!*
Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know
Oxford University Press global.oup.com/academic/product/secession-and-state-creation-9780190494049
Amazon amzn.to/2MPY3W2
Some of the links above are affiliate links. These pay a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps to support the channel at no additional cost to you.
#Pakistan #Afghanistan #Taliban
