The Evolving Information Environment in Afghanistan

Authors: Salem Ibrahimi and Sam Vincent

The evolving information landscape in Afghanistan resembles a battlefield, with the Taliban waging an ideological and information war. As intra-Taliban tensions have risen and global interests shift, international policy should consider the Taliban’s messianic tendencies and employ a multifaceted approach to influence their behaviour. This paper makes recommendations for international actors to mitigate the increasing isolation of Afghans from outside information and the fragmentation of the information environment.

This publication is part of a series highlighting the work and analysis of the Afghanistan Research Network (ARN), a project convened by LSE / PeaceRep, and the Civic Engagement Project (CEP). The network brings together over 20 Afghan researchers (and several non-Afghans) with diverse expertise and backgrounds investigating a range of issues. This project aims to support Afghan researchers who were recently forced to leave Afghanistan; to ensure expert and analytical provision; inform contextually-appropriate international policies and practices on Afghanistan; and to deepen understanding of evolving political, security, and economic dynamics.

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