New CFR InfoGuide Explores the Two Talibans

As the U.S. war in Afghanistan—the longest in American history—draws to a close, the Taliban remains the country’s most deadly insurgent group. The movement has also metastasized in Pakistan, where thousands of fighters are waging war against the government. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has released a new interactive guide examining the two Talibans, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the consequences for the region.

"The Taliban"—the latest InfoGuide in CFR’s multimedia explainer series—tracks the movement’s rise, fall, and resurgence, and the dilemmas it presents for the region and the world.

"Understanding the two Talibans means scanning the landscape on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, politically as well as geographically," says CFR.org Editor Robert McMahon. "This guide aims to do that with maps and graphics as well as with a narrative told in video and text."

"InfoGuide: The Taliban" includes
—a ten-minute overview video drawing on insights from leading experts, including CFR President Richard N. Haass, veteran journalist Steve Coll, Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid, human rights specialist Rachel Reid, and CFR Senior Fellow for South Asia Daniel S. Markey;
—a timeline tracing the Taliban’s evolution;
—infographics depicting the cost of the insurgencies in lives and treasure;
—an interactive diagram illustrating the hierarchy of the Afghan Taliban; and
—an interactive map of Taliban strongholds across Afghanistan and Pakistan;
—teaching guides and further reading sections for educators.

This InfoGuide is the fifth in a series that also includes "The Sunni-Shia Divide," "China’s Maritime Disputes," "Child Marriage," and "The Emerging Arctic." Produced by CFR.org’s editorial team, the guides utilize a responsive design for tablets and mobile devices. Multimedia sections are embeddable, including the overview video, timelines, map, and infographics. CFR’s interactive offerings also feature the Emmy Award–winning Crisis Guides and the Global Governance Monitor.

InfoGuides are made possible by funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

View "The Taliban" at www.cfr.org/taliban.