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    <title>Queen's University Belfast - Taliban Turbans and The Smartphone.</title>
    <itunes:title>Queen's University Belfast - Taliban Turbans and The Smartphone.</itunes:title>
    
   
    <copyright>Queen's University Belfast (Media Services)</copyright>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 07:00:31 Z</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>In House Developments</generator>
	<language>en-gb</language>
	<link>https://panopto-dev.qub.ac.uk/podcasts/?id=e1348404-e671-4b0a-b0c1-b07000c5354a</link>
    <a10:link rel="self" href="https://panopto-dev.qub.ac.uk/podcasts/?id=e1348404-e671-4b0a-b0c1-b07000c5354a" />	 <description><![CDATA[Podcast]]></description>
		<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Podcast]]></itunes:summary>	<itunes:owner>
		<itunes:name>Queen's University Belfast (Media Services)</itunes:name>
        <itunes:email>podcasting@qub.ac.uk</itunes:email>
    </itunes:owner>
	<itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit>
	<itunes:category text="Education" />
    <itunes:author>QUB Podcasting Service</itunes:author>
	<itunes:image href="https://panopto-dev.qub.ac.uk/podcasts/artwork/e1348404-e671-4b0a-b0c1-b07000c5354a.jpg" />
    <pubDate>Mon, 06 Mar 2023 09:07:31 Z</pubDate>
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			  <title><![CDATA[SERIES 2, EPISODE 3 “Emirate versus Khilafat –the ISKP critique of the Taliban”]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Mon, 06 Mar 2023 09:07:31 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/ef72743e-35ea-4ff7-a167-b07201523b1f.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="50154375" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Podcast series on Afghanistan, presented by Prof. Michael Semple with Tamim Asey.
For researchers of the Taliban, the ISKP campaign is significant not just because of the horrendous violence, but because it deploys Islamist rhetoric and reasoning against the Taliban. Perhaps much of the Taliban leadership worries more about what ISKP says about them than they would worry about any number of Security Council resolutions. Taliban have always invested heavily in maintaining the unity of the movement and the authority of their Amir. So, in ideological rather than military terms, the most obvious threat to the Taliban and their unity is if ISKP jihadist rhetoric finds resonance with disillusioned Taliban fighters. In this episode we take a look at what ISKP is saying about the Taliban.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Podcast series on Afghanistan, presented by Prof. Michael Semple with Tamim Asey.
For researchers of the Taliban, the ISKP campaign is significant not just because of the horrendous violence, but because it deploys Islamist rhetoric and reasoning against the Taliban. Perhaps much of the Taliban leadership worries more about what ISKP says about them than they would worry about any number of Security Council resolutions. Taliban have always invested heavily in maintaining the unity of the movement and the authority of their Amir. So, in ideological rather than military terms, the most obvious threat to the Taliban and their unity is if ISKP jihadist rhetoric finds resonance with disillusioned Taliban fighters. In this episode we take a look at what ISKP is saying about the Taliban.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:34:33</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Series 3, Episode 2– “How inclusive is the Islamic Emirate? - Who are the men running the Taliban’s administration?”]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:22:42 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/cd96cf3b-4620-420d-a5e6-b13300cbfdc2.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="66461779" />
			  <description><![CDATA[The report submitted to the UN Security Council by Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioghlu laid out a plan for national dialogue and talks to achieve an inclusive national administration, as well as restoring women’s rights. The plan thus doubles down on inclusivity as one of the prerequisites for normalising Afghanistan’s relations with the international community. But the Taliban have denied the need for any such political process. They again asserted that their administration is inclusive, because, they say, they have appointed officials from all ethnic groups.

This episode considers this Taliban claim in the light of our analysis of the top rank office holders in the Islamic Emirate. We consider the extent to which the Taliban’s administration is unrepresentative of Afghanistan’s diverse society. We find that in its third year the Emirate remains a men-only one-party regime, with a narrow ethnic base, in which power is still concentrated in the hands of first generation Kandahari Taliban and clerics, now in their fifties.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[The report submitted to the UN Security Council by Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioghlu laid out a plan for national dialogue and talks to achieve an inclusive national administration, as well as restoring women’s rights. The plan thus doubles down on inclusivity as one of the prerequisites for normalising Afghanistan’s relations with the international community. But the Taliban have denied the need for any such political process. They again asserted that their administration is inclusive, because, they say, they have appointed officials from all ethnic groups.

This episode considers this Taliban claim in the light of our analysis of the top rank office holders in the Islamic Emirate. We consider the extent to which the Taliban’s administration is unrepresentative of Afghanistan’s diverse society. We find that in its third year the Emirate remains a men-only one-party regime, with a narrow ethnic base, in which power is still concentrated in the hands of first generation Kandahari Taliban and clerics, now in their fifties.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:07:46</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban  turbans and smartphones - Season 3, Episode 6]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:07:28 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/502a897b-62da-4e12-9ff1-b19200c7ce37.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="42607532" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Doha 3 Conference – Opportunity or distraction”.

In this episode, we discuss the manoeuvring around the UN-led Doha 3 conference planned for 30 June and 1 July, exploring the challenges of advancing political dialogue while the Emirate leadership rules out compromise on rights and political participation.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Doha 3 Conference – Opportunity or distraction”.

In this episode, we discuss the manoeuvring around the UN-led Doha 3 conference planned for 30 June and 1 July, exploring the challenges of advancing political dialogue while the Emirate leadership rules out compromise on rights and political participation.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:42:47</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban  turbans and smartphones - Season 4, Episode 1]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:35:27 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/52cd1491-2f20-46ec-8938-b26f009e0de6.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="48939689" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 1 - “Emirate Studies – what every Talib is meant to know about their movement”. We discuss a new book, entitled Emirate Studies and published in Pashto. It is written by a Taliban member of the insurgency-era Culture Commission. Emirate Studies presents the latest official Taliban’s perspective of Afghan history, the anti-Soviet jihad, the post-2001 insurgency, the Taliban’s periods in power and their worldview. We examine what the text tells us about Taliban attitudes and domestic and foreign policies.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 1 - “Emirate Studies – what every Talib is meant to know about their movement”. We discuss a new book, entitled Emirate Studies and published in Pashto. It is written by a Taliban member of the insurgency-era Culture Commission. Emirate Studies presents the latest official Taliban’s perspective of Afghan history, the anti-Soviet jihad, the post-2001 insurgency, the Taliban’s periods in power and their worldview. We examine what the text tells us about Taliban attitudes and domestic and foreign policies.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:49:55</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/55fe4c66-2a88-4fde-85b5-b1d8008bda81.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban Turbans and smart phones - Episode 7, Series 3]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:29:11 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/55fe4c66-2a88-4fde-85b5-b1d8008bda81.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="43473679" />
			  <description><![CDATA[“Speaking up and pushing back – is there space for civic resistance in Afghanistan?”

The episode considers recent examples of Afghans in the country who have criticised Taliban policies and their Islamic Emirate or protested against them. We have assumed for a while that engaging in public criticism is well nigh impossible under Taliban authoritarianism. Do recent signs of unrest force us to reconsider how tight a lid the Taliban are able to keep on the population?]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[“Speaking up and pushing back – is there space for civic resistance in Afghanistan?”

The episode considers recent examples of Afghans in the country who have criticised Taliban policies and their Islamic Emirate or protested against them. We have assumed for a while that engaging in public criticism is well nigh impossible under Taliban authoritarianism. Do recent signs of unrest force us to reconsider how tight a lid the Taliban are able to keep on the population?]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:44:19</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Wed, 31 May 2023 12:51:22 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/33a2827b-5581-4da6-88f5-b07400c170ae.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="46523816" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 8. Do the Taliban have an economic policy and if so, what is it?

We try to make sense of what the Taliban have been doing to the Afghan economy, piecing together their economic policy. They aspire to a form of self-reliance, which they have pursued through revenue collection. But they are more focused on rewarding members for their jihad than growing the economy.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 8. Do the Taliban have an economic policy and if so, what is it?

We try to make sense of what the Taliban have been doing to the Afghan economy, piecing together their economic policy. They aspire to a form of self-reliance, which they have pursued through revenue collection. But they are more focused on rewarding members for their jihad than growing the economy.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:38:18</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 11 May 2023 10:01:59 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/5f3dbb5d-8b38-44d1-a081-b071001d1947.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="51647239" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 7. 
Is there internal dissent in the Taliban Movement and does it matter?
We address the Islamic Emirate’s internal politics, considering the factional tussles and differences over ideology and tactics within the movement. What does these differences and perspectives between the Taliban factions tell us about the prospects for a change in the Emirate’s hard-line policies?]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 7. 
Is there internal dissent in the Taliban Movement and does it matter?
We address the Islamic Emirate’s internal politics, considering the factional tussles and differences over ideology and tactics within the movement. What does these differences and perspectives between the Taliban factions tell us about the prospects for a change in the Emirate’s hard-line policies?]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:42:32</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/e98e000c-e6b3-4485-a89f-b07101139aa0.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:16:23 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/e98e000c-e6b3-4485-a89f-b07101139aa0.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="59882860" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 6 - The evolving role of the Taliban's Amir, from state capture to state transformation?
Starting with a look at Haibatollah's Eid message, we reflect on the Amir's increasing direct involvement in appointments and decisions and ask whether the Taliban have progressed from capturing the Afghan state to transforming it.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 6 - The evolving role of the Taliban's Amir, from state capture to state transformation?
Starting with a look at Haibatollah's Eid message, we reflect on the Amir's increasing direct involvement in appointments and decisions and ask whether the Taliban have progressed from capturing the Afghan state to transforming it.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:49:17</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 06 Apr 2023 10:34:04 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/02a620e4-c7a9-486d-a7f7-b073008d3081.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="51143823" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 5. In this episode, Michael and Tamim discuss the implications of the Islamic Emirate extending its ban on women's work to the United Nations' Afghan employees]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 5. In this episode, Michael and Tamim discuss the implications of the Islamic Emirate extending its ban on women's work to the United Nations' Afghan employees]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:35:09</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2023 13:28:32 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/1c6eb16c-ce99-483b-b49e-b072010d7276.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="41112666" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 2: The Qosh Tippa canal project – threat to ethnic harmony or doomed vanity project?”

The Taliban Movement is basically famous for two things – for waging armed jihad and for imposing an austere moral code. Today we try to explain how this Islamist Movement has involved itself in digging a canal across the plains of northern Afghanistan. The Qosh Tippa Canal is a mega project – it is like digging a ditch wider than a football field, stretching from London to Liverpool. It has been championed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Emirate’s Deputy Prime Minister who heads the National Economic Council. You may remember his name from the first series. Today Tamim and Michael try to work out why the Taliban are throwing so many resources at digging a ditch in the desert.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 2: The Qosh Tippa canal project – threat to ethnic harmony or doomed vanity project?”

The Taliban Movement is basically famous for two things – for waging armed jihad and for imposing an austere moral code. Today we try to explain how this Islamist Movement has involved itself in digging a canal across the plains of northern Afghanistan. The Qosh Tippa Canal is a mega project – it is like digging a ditch wider than a football field, stretching from London to Liverpool. It has been championed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Emirate’s Deputy Prime Minister who heads the National Economic Council. You may remember his name from the first series. Today Tamim and Michael try to work out why the Taliban are throwing so many resources at digging a ditch in the desert.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:28:19</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2023 12:06:18 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/415b1faf-b718-40fa-b9cc-b07300f9d5e0.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="44073899" />
			  <description><![CDATA[EPISODE 6 – The peace process
In seizing Kabul, the Taliban collapsed the Islamic republic under which Afghanistan has been governed for twenty years. They also collapsed the peace process, abruptly ending three years of intense efforts by the US to broker a settlement between the Afghan conflicting parties. But the conflict in Afghanistan is not over and all the key questions around the country’s future remain unresolved. This episode asks what is happening on peace-making, over a year after the last formal process was aborted. Features guest interview with Mawlvi Atta ur Rahman Saleem, Deputy Chairman of the Republic’s High Commission for National Reconcoliation.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[EPISODE 6 – The peace process
In seizing Kabul, the Taliban collapsed the Islamic republic under which Afghanistan has been governed for twenty years. They also collapsed the peace process, abruptly ending three years of intense efforts by the US to broker a settlement between the Afghan conflicting parties. But the conflict in Afghanistan is not over and all the key questions around the country’s future remain unresolved. This episode asks what is happening on peace-making, over a year after the last formal process was aborted. Features guest interview with Mawlvi Atta ur Rahman Saleem, Deputy Chairman of the Republic’s High Commission for National Reconcoliation.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:30:40</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2023 13:07:17 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/af2f3267-3153-46f9-97be-b07200f02200.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="41951446" />
			  <description><![CDATA[EPISODE 5 – The armed conflict
The Taliban’s uncontested capture of Kabul did not end armed conflict in Afghanistan. A year on, the Taliban find themselves fighting two insurgencies. In the mountains of the north a “National Resistance Front” is fighting against the Taliban’s Islamic authoritarianism. In Kabul and the cities Daesh, is waging a bloody campaign, accusing the Taliban of being worldly western stooges. This episode looks at why violence continues despite the decision by the US and others to sit out this round of the Afghan war. Features guest interview with the Republic’s Minister for Refugees, Nur Rahman Akhlaqi.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[EPISODE 5 – The armed conflict
The Taliban’s uncontested capture of Kabul did not end armed conflict in Afghanistan. A year on, the Taliban find themselves fighting two insurgencies. In the mountains of the north a “National Resistance Front” is fighting against the Taliban’s Islamic authoritarianism. In Kabul and the cities Daesh, is waging a bloody campaign, accusing the Taliban of being worldly western stooges. This episode looks at why violence continues despite the decision by the US and others to sit out this round of the Afghan war. Features guest interview with the Republic’s Minister for Refugees, Nur Rahman Akhlaqi.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:28:38</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2023 12:26:18 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/6ca81f15-a010-4e8a-9fe5-b073015ab5ed.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="36575469" />
			  <description><![CDATA[EPISODE 4 Humanitarian assistance, the state of the media and the Taliban’s quest for recognition.
The Taliban leaders expected that the international community would soon accept the reality of the change of rulers in Kabul. They counted on prompt diplomatic recognition to open up access to the international finance needed to run Afghanistan. Instead, no country has recognised the Islamic Emirate and official development assistance remains cut off. Episode 4 asks what Afghanistan’s new isolation has meant for all those struggling with the country’s humanitarian crisis. Features guest interview with an Afghan journalist and civil rights activist.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[EPISODE 4 Humanitarian assistance, the state of the media and the Taliban’s quest for recognition.
The Taliban leaders expected that the international community would soon accept the reality of the change of rulers in Kabul. They counted on prompt diplomatic recognition to open up access to the international finance needed to run Afghanistan. Instead, no country has recognised the Islamic Emirate and official development assistance remains cut off. Episode 4 asks what Afghanistan’s new isolation has meant for all those struggling with the country’s humanitarian crisis. Features guest interview with an Afghan journalist and civil rights activist.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:25:53</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2023 13:03:42 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/de23c776-8c27-4bf5-8fe2-b072014123ec.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="64071062" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Episode 3: In this episode, we again take a pair of issues – firstly the state of human rights under the Taliban and secondly the exodus of Afghans from their country triggered by the Taliban takeover. The human rights crisis and the mass exodus from the country are each significant aspects of Afghan experience. They are also intricately related. Egregious human rights abuses conducted by Taliban forces with impunity have helped to drive Afghans across the borders. Features guest interview with Shaharzad Akbar, Chairperson of the Republic’s Independent Human Rights Commission.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Episode 3: In this episode, we again take a pair of issues – firstly the state of human rights under the Taliban and secondly the exodus of Afghans from their country triggered by the Taliban takeover. The human rights crisis and the mass exodus from the country are each significant aspects of Afghan experience. They are also intricately related. Egregious human rights abuses conducted by Taliban forces with impunity have helped to drive Afghans across the borders. Features guest interview with Shaharzad Akbar, Chairperson of the Republic’s Independent Human Rights Commission.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:44:21</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban Turbans and Smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2023 09:00:37 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/edeb9616-fa8d-49e7-b651-b0710027e65b.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="48384693" />
			  <description><![CDATA[In forcing their way into Kabul on the 15th of August 2021, the Taliban took control of the Afghan state. In this episode we consider what the Taliban have done with the state; the extent to which they have pursued radical transformation or continuity. And what has Taliban statecraft meant for Afghans living under Taliban rule and for the Afghan economy. Features guest interview with a veteran Taliban commander.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[In forcing their way into Kabul on the 15th of August 2021, the Taliban took control of the Afghan state. In this episode we consider what the Taliban have done with the state; the extent to which they have pursued radical transformation or continuity. And what has Taliban statecraft meant for Afghans living under Taliban rule and for the Afghan economy. Features guest interview with a veteran Taliban commander.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:33:14</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/cb8595ff-2614-42aa-987b-b07100e9015a.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban Turbans and Smartphones]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:32:47 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/cb8595ff-2614-42aa-987b-b07100e9015a.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="116123113" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Episode 1:  Victory and Collapse. Prof Michael Semple of Queen’s University, Belfast, explores how Afghan perspectives have been shaped by the Taliban being in power for a year. Prof Semple speaks with analyst Tamim Asey and also social media analyst Wahdat Wassel.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Episode 1:  Victory and Collapse. Prof Michael Semple of Queen’s University, Belfast, explores how Afghan perspectives have been shaped by the Taliban being in power for a year. Prof Semple speaks with analyst Tamim Asey and also social media analyst Wahdat Wassel.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:18:10</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/63169d47-9143-4e9e-b71f-b13800bc6985.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban Turbans and Smartphones - Season 2 Episode 12]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:25:59 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/63169d47-9143-4e9e-b71f-b13800bc6985.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="40927099" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 2 - Episode 12. This episode considers the effectiveness of the Amir’s April 2022 decree banning the narcotics trade in the light of the latest international reports on Afghan opiates and crystal meth.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 2 - Episode 12. This episode considers the effectiveness of the Amir’s April 2022 decree banning the narcotics trade in the light of the latest international reports on Afghan opiates and crystal meth.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:41:45</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/ef443023-d4ff-4724-812b-b13800cc81f9.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 2 Episode 14]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:24:35 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/ef443023-d4ff-4724-812b-b13800cc81f9.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="50322678" />
			  <description><![CDATA[“A cultural counter-revolution - Haibatollah’s flagship jihadi madrassahs?”

This episode considers the Taliban leader’s initiative to establish and fund new madrassahs in all of Afghanistan’s provinces. It sets out the differences between designated jihadi madrassahs and the many other madrassahs operating in Afghanistan. Describes the Taliban leaders’ ambition to train a whole new generation of young Afghans to be loyal to the Taliban’s jihad and unquestioningly so to their Amir.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[“A cultural counter-revolution - Haibatollah’s flagship jihadi madrassahs?”

This episode considers the Taliban leader’s initiative to establish and fund new madrassahs in all of Afghanistan’s provinces. It sets out the differences between designated jihadi madrassahs and the many other madrassahs operating in Afghanistan. Describes the Taliban leaders’ ambition to train a whole new generation of young Afghans to be loyal to the Taliban’s jihad and unquestioningly so to their Amir.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:51:21</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/ac7345ee-2bac-4fec-b5a9-b13800cd41f5.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 2 Episode 15]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:27:19 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/ac7345ee-2bac-4fec-b5a9-b13800cd41f5.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="59885889" />
			  <description><![CDATA[“Afghanistan after the Americans, an overview of the Emirate and Afghan responses to it.”

In the final episode of series 2, we stock-take on the Taliban’s progress in building their Islamic Emirate and Afghan responses to it, based on a lecture at Queen’s University Belfast in December 2023]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[“Afghanistan after the Americans, an overview of the Emirate and Afghan responses to it.”

In the final episode of series 2, we stock-take on the Taliban’s progress in building their Islamic Emirate and Afghan responses to it, based on a lecture at Queen’s University Belfast in December 2023]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:00:27</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/59675aad-1533-4bba-8cac-b13800ba4d9a.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 2 Episode 9]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:18:18 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/59675aad-1533-4bba-8cac-b13800ba4d9a.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="42658958" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 9: "Emirate Land - what have the Taliban achieved through all their decrees about land and property rights? - a discussion on the Emirate’s efforts to reform land ownership".]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 9: "Emirate Land - what have the Taliban achieved through all their decrees about land and property rights? - a discussion on the Emirate’s efforts to reform land ownership".]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:43:32</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/a5c7ad34-0c49-49ea-9627-b13800ce0f01.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 3 Episode 1]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:30:14 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/a5c7ad34-0c49-49ea-9627-b13800ce0f01.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="64629917" />
			  <description><![CDATA["Is Afghanistan under the Taliban an authoritarian state? and what difference does that determination make?”.

An assessment of the extent to which Taliban governance and politics display the classic hallmarks of an authoritarian system. Consideration of the relevance of good practice guidelines for the response to authoritarianism for Afghans and international actors wondering how to deal with the Taliban.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA["Is Afghanistan under the Taliban an authoritarian state? and what difference does that determination make?”.

An assessment of the extent to which Taliban governance and politics display the classic hallmarks of an authoritarian system. Consideration of the relevance of good practice guidelines for the response to authoritarianism for Afghans and international actors wondering how to deal with the Taliban.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:05:45</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/c38b3d82-04b3-44f7-9786-b13800ced38d.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 3 Episode 2]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:33:02 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/c38b3d82-04b3-44f7-9786-b13800ced38d.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="66378431" />
			  <description><![CDATA[“How inclusive is the Islamic Emirate? - Who are the men running the Taliban’s administration?”

The report submitted to the UN Security Council by Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioghlu laid out a plan for national dialogue and talks to achieve an inclusive national administration, as well as restoring women’s rights. The plan thus doubles down on inclusivity as one of the prerequisites for normalising Afghanistan’s relations with the international community. But the Taliban have denied the need for any such political process. They again asserted that their administration is inclusive, because, they say, they have appointed officials from all ethnic groups.

This episode considers this Taliban claim in the light of our analysis of the top rank office holders in the Islamic Emirate. We consider the extent to which the Taliban’s administration is unrepresentative of Afghanistan’s diverse society. We find that in its third year the Emirate remains a men-only one-party regime, with a narrow ethnic base, in which power is still concentrated in the hands of first generation Kandahari Taliban and clerics, now in their fifties.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[“How inclusive is the Islamic Emirate? - Who are the men running the Taliban’s administration?”

The report submitted to the UN Security Council by Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioghlu laid out a plan for national dialogue and talks to achieve an inclusive national administration, as well as restoring women’s rights. The plan thus doubles down on inclusivity as one of the prerequisites for normalising Afghanistan’s relations with the international community. But the Taliban have denied the need for any such political process. They again asserted that their administration is inclusive, because, they say, they have appointed officials from all ethnic groups.

This episode considers this Taliban claim in the light of our analysis of the top rank office holders in the Islamic Emirate. We consider the extent to which the Taliban’s administration is unrepresentative of Afghanistan’s diverse society. We find that in its third year the Emirate remains a men-only one-party regime, with a narrow ethnic base, in which power is still concentrated in the hands of first generation Kandahari Taliban and clerics, now in their fifties.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:07:46</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/7cec6828-371a-42db-9d3a-b15400d84d4a.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 3 Episode 4]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:07:32 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/7cec6828-371a-42db-9d3a-b15400d84d4a.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="47624199" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 3, Episode 4 – “Life in struggle, a conversation with Dr. Sima Samar”.
 
We have a conversation with special guest Dr. Sima Samar on the occasion of the publication of her English memoir “Outspoken My fight for freedom and human rights in Afghanistan”. Dr. Sima tells us about struggle and popular mobilisation as Afghans started to resist the Communist government in 1978. She reflects on the threats and opportunities facing a new generation of Afghans mobilising to regain their freedom.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 3, Episode 4 – “Life in struggle, a conversation with Dr. Sima Samar”.
 
We have a conversation with special guest Dr. Sima Samar on the occasion of the publication of her English memoir “Outspoken My fight for freedom and human rights in Afghanistan”. Dr. Sima tells us about struggle and popular mobilisation as Afghans started to resist the Communist government in 1978. She reflects on the threats and opportunities facing a new generation of Afghans mobilising to regain their freedom.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:48:37</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/9adc13cc-46a4-4a33-a26b-b17100bf30de.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 3, Episode 5]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 12:36:06 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/9adc13cc-46a4-4a33-a26b-b17100bf30de.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="43050675" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 3, Episode 5 - “Have the Taliban really succeeded in developing sustainable armed forces for Afghanistan?”.

Prompted by a boast by Emirate Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaqi, we consider whether the Taliban have achieved a goal which has eluded Afghanistan for two decades – the creation of security forces paid for by Afghan revenues. To answer the question, we look at what the Taliban have done with the security structure they inherited from the Republic and how Taliban fighters have made the transition from the insurgency into acting as state forces and how the Taliban pay for this.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 3, Episode 5 - “Have the Taliban really succeeded in developing sustainable armed forces for Afghanistan?”.

Prompted by a boast by Emirate Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaqi, we consider whether the Taliban have achieved a goal which has eluded Afghanistan for two decades – the creation of security forces paid for by Afghan revenues. To answer the question, we look at what the Taliban have done with the security structure they inherited from the Republic and how Taliban fighters have made the transition from the insurgency into acting as state forces and how the Taliban pay for this.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:43:53</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Season 4, Episode 2]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2025 07:28:58 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/7b65427f-44a5-4391-8279-b2ab007b4f08.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="57467448" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season, 4, Episode 2 - “Unprecedented? The latest Taliban in-fighting and what it tells us about the state of the Emirate”. We consider the cold war between the Taliban’s Amir and the faction led by Interior Minister Seraj Haqqani. Why Seraj disappeared from view for seven weeks. The issues in dispute – power, resources and policy. What options both sides have. Assessment of the leadership’s prospects for maintaining unity versus the risk of a split and direct challenge to the authority of the Amir.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season, 4, Episode 2 - “Unprecedented? The latest Taliban in-fighting and what it tells us about the state of the Emirate”. We consider the cold war between the Taliban’s Amir and the faction led by Interior Minister Seraj Haqqani. Why Seraj disappeared from view for seven weeks. The issues in dispute – power, resources and policy. What options both sides have. Assessment of the leadership’s prospects for maintaining unity versus the risk of a split and direct challenge to the authority of the Amir.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:58:35</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/eefe25e6-a65c-4016-870d-b13800bb05eb.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Series 2 Episode 10]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:20:56 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/eefe25e6-a65c-4016-870d-b13800bb05eb.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="46186091" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 10 – The pre-history of engagement with the Taliban – what UN Special Coordinator, Sinirlioğu should know.

An experienced Turkish diplomat is touring the region as part of his UN Security Council mandated independent assessment of the challenges faced by international actors in Afghanistan. We look for relevant insights from the earliest political engagement with the Taliban, in the period 1994 to 2001.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 10 – The pre-history of engagement with the Taliban – what UN Special Coordinator, Sinirlioğu should know.

An experienced Turkish diplomat is touring the region as part of his UN Security Council mandated independent assessment of the challenges faced by international actors in Afghanistan. We look for relevant insights from the earliest political engagement with the Taliban, in the period 1994 to 2001.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:47:09</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/010ef04d-682d-46de-8149-b13800bbaeab.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Series 2 Episode 11]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:23:20 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/010ef04d-682d-46de-8149-b13800bbaeab.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="47953307" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 11. “Rule of law in the Emirate security sector – will the Amir’s latest decree end decades of torture in Afghanistan’s intelligence agency?”
Amir Haibatollah has signed a decree applying rule of law principles to the operations of the Emirate’s intelligence agency. We do a reality check, looking at the function and operations of the GDI, considering the prospects for ending endemic human rights abuses.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Series 2, Episode 11. “Rule of law in the Emirate security sector – will the Amir’s latest decree end decades of torture in Afghanistan’s intelligence agency?”
Amir Haibatollah has signed a decree applying rule of law principles to the operations of the Emirate’s intelligence agency. We do a reality check, looking at the function and operations of the GDI, considering the prospects for ending endemic human rights abuses.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:48:57</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/8e727f14-0790-4fd3-868f-b13800bd1d2b.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones - Series 2 Episode 13]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:28:33 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/8e727f14-0790-4fd3-868f-b13800bd1d2b.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="53834086" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 13 – “What the Middle East conflict reveals about the Taliban”.

This episode considers how Taliban leaders and ranks have responded to the latest round of conflict in the Middle East. Notes that most reports of Taliban volunteering to deploy to the Middle east are products of wishful thinking. But the threat of Taliban and other Afghans being tied into a regional network of Islamist militias and proxy conflict is real.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 2, Episode 13 – “What the Middle East conflict reveals about the Taliban”.

This episode considers how Taliban leaders and ranks have responded to the latest round of conflict in the Middle East. Notes that most reports of Taliban volunteering to deploy to the Middle east are products of wishful thinking. But the threat of Taliban and other Afghans being tied into a regional network of Islamist militias and proxy conflict is real.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:54:57</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/9788e85c-a036-4ed2-9d4f-b1e9008d6cb5.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones Season 3 Episode 8]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 09:34:55 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/9788e85c-a036-4ed2-9d4f-b1e9008d6cb5.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="49446670" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Series 3, Episode 8  - “The Taliban’s relations with Afghanistan’s tough region”
 
The episode considers the Taliban’s performance in managing Afghanistan’s regional relations. It considers their declared strategy, which is economy led, and under which they have opened up for inward investment from the neighbours, in particular China. But the undeclared strategy is shaped by their harbouring of militant groups opposed to each of the neighbouring countries. The result is a proliferation of hedging approaches adopted by countries in the region, who deal with the Taliban as the de facto power in Afghanistan but are not necessarily banking on the Emirate being around for long.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Series 3, Episode 8  - “The Taliban’s relations with Afghanistan’s tough region”
 
The episode considers the Taliban’s performance in managing Afghanistan’s regional relations. It considers their declared strategy, which is economy led, and under which they have opened up for inward investment from the neighbours, in particular China. But the undeclared strategy is shaped by their harbouring of militant groups opposed to each of the neighbouring countries. The result is a proliferation of hedging approaches adopted by countries in the region, who deal with the Taliban as the de facto power in Afghanistan but are not necessarily banking on the Emirate being around for long.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:50:27</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/fa8ef40c-4af5-410c-805b-b21b00b3933c.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones. Season 3 Episode 9]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:53:49 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/fa8ef40c-4af5-410c-805b-b21b00b3933c.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="44766443" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 3, Episode 9 - How serious are the Taliban on counter-narcotics policy?

As part of the series of Doha dialogues convened by the UN, a working group on counter-narcotics has been formed. This is supposed to bring together international officials and Emirate representatives. Ahead of another possible round of dialogue this episode does reality check on the Emirate’s track record. We try to reconcile satellite observations of reduced opium poppy cultivation with other reporting that suggests that the Taliban remain deeply involved in narcotics trafficking.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 3, Episode 9 - How serious are the Taliban on counter-narcotics policy?

As part of the series of Doha dialogues convened by the UN, a working group on counter-narcotics has been formed. This is supposed to bring together international officials and Emirate representatives. Ahead of another possible round of dialogue this episode does reality check on the Emirate’s track record. We try to reconcile satellite observations of reduced opium poppy cultivation with other reporting that suggests that the Taliban remain deeply involved in narcotics trafficking.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:45:38</itunes:duration>
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			  <link>https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/6651105f-ea76-4eae-b684-b074000b77bd.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast</link>
			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones: Season 2, Episode 1]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2023 11:14:23 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/6651105f-ea76-4eae-b684-b074000b77bd.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="53695650" />
			  <description><![CDATA[SERIES 2, EPISODE 1 “Revolutionary decrees and the Taliban’s assault on Afghan women” 
The Taliban are now well into a second year of imposing their revived Islamic Emirate on Afghanistan. The Taliban’s Amir, Haibatollah Akhundzada, has published a series of radical decrees which he claims are, step by step, imposing an Islamic system of government and law. In the latest moves, the Taliban have banned girls from university and stopped Afghan women from working in aid agencies, except in the health sector. This is not the Afghanistan which was promised by the men who signed the US-Taliban Doha agreement in February 2020. IN this episode, over chai, Tamim and Michael assess the outcome of a mission to Afghanistan by UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammad. They locate this exchange in the context of the latest stage of the Taliban’s roll-out of their Islamic Emirate.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[SERIES 2, EPISODE 1 “Revolutionary decrees and the Taliban’s assault on Afghan women” 
The Taliban are now well into a second year of imposing their revived Islamic Emirate on Afghanistan. The Taliban’s Amir, Haibatollah Akhundzada, has published a series of radical decrees which he claims are, step by step, imposing an Islamic system of government and law. In the latest moves, the Taliban have banned girls from university and stopped Afghan women from working in aid agencies, except in the health sector. This is not the Afghanistan which was promised by the men who signed the US-Taliban Doha agreement in February 2020. IN this episode, over chai, Tamim and Michael assess the outcome of a mission to Afghanistan by UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammad. They locate this exchange in the context of the latest stage of the Taliban’s roll-out of their Islamic Emirate.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:37:34</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban turbans and smartphones: Season 2, Episode 4]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 10:28:47 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/2a684de2-ad09-4062-b95f-b07001223cb5.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="68790366" />
			  <description><![CDATA[The Hazaras and the Taliban – a reality check on minority rights under the second Emirate. The Hazara ethnic group suffered under the Taliban’s first Islamic Emirate. The Hazarajat region was the first to rebel against that Emirate and the Taliban army burnt down the regional centre Bamyan in revenge. Massacres of Hazara civilians followed. Many feared that there would be a repetition of these events once the Taliban returned to power in 2021. In today’s episode we do a reality check on minority rights under the second Islamic Emirate, asking how Hazaras have been treated by the Taliban this time round. We start with impressions from this year’s commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the killing by Taliban of the main Hazara jihadi leader, Abdul Ali Mazari and then reflect on Hazara political participation and the state of human rights. And as the podcast was recoded on 21st March, we wish listeners a happy new Persian year – Nauroz Mubarak.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[The Hazaras and the Taliban – a reality check on minority rights under the second Emirate. The Hazara ethnic group suffered under the Taliban’s first Islamic Emirate. The Hazarajat region was the first to rebel against that Emirate and the Taliban army burnt down the regional centre Bamyan in revenge. Massacres of Hazara civilians followed. Many feared that there would be a repetition of these events once the Taliban returned to power in 2021. In today’s episode we do a reality check on minority rights under the second Islamic Emirate, asking how Hazaras have been treated by the Taliban this time round. We start with impressions from this year’s commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the killing by Taliban of the main Hazara jihadi leader, Abdul Ali Mazari and then reflect on Hazara political participation and the state of human rights. And as the podcast was recoded on 21st March, we wish listeners a happy new Persian year – Nauroz Mubarak.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:47:05</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban, turbans and smartphones - Season 3 Episode 3]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 08:48:03 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/057ba621-7e23-40b3-be45-b15000808c90.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="32915272" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Taliban, turbans and smartphones- Season 3, Episode 3  – “Exploring Taliban political culture – the andiwal system or Taliban comrade networks”
 
This episode explains the informal comrade networks which Taliban commanders used to mobilise fighters during successive stages of their armed struggle. These networks now constitute an informal power structure operating inside the hierarchy of the Taliban-controlled state. Considers the enduring significance of this andiwal system in understanding the Taliban approach to governance.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Taliban, turbans and smartphones- Season 3, Episode 3  – “Exploring Taliban political culture – the andiwal system or Taliban comrade networks”
 
This episode explains the informal comrade networks which Taliban commanders used to mobilise fighters during successive stages of their armed struggle. These networks now constitute an informal power structure operating inside the hierarchy of the Taliban-controlled state. Considers the enduring significance of this andiwal system in understanding the Taliban approach to governance.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:33:34</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban, turbans and smartphones - Season4, Episode 3]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2025 09:32:12 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/f40a3ad5-a71e-471b-a605-b2f0008cadd5.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="51229151" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 3 - Feuds, job cuts and morality policing – latest developments in the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate and the Afghan response”.

This episode is a catch-up on developments in the Islamic Emirate. Michael and Tamim talk through the harsh realities which the Taliban, the general population and opposition are being forced to confront. The Taliban, struggling with a budget shortfall, are implementing mass redundancies, cutting salaries and failing to pay many of their bills. The population faces harassment at the hands of the Taliban and immiseration as economic conditions deteriorate. And the opposition struggles to find a way to scale up resistance to Taliban rule. Although armed resistance for now poses no threat to the Emirate, the general alienation from the regime hints at possible future challenges.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 3 - Feuds, job cuts and morality policing – latest developments in the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate and the Afghan response”.

This episode is a catch-up on developments in the Islamic Emirate. Michael and Tamim talk through the harsh realities which the Taliban, the general population and opposition are being forced to confront. The Taliban, struggling with a budget shortfall, are implementing mass redundancies, cutting salaries and failing to pay many of their bills. The population faces harassment at the hands of the Taliban and immiseration as economic conditions deteriorate. And the opposition struggles to find a way to scale up resistance to Taliban rule. Although armed resistance for now poses no threat to the Emirate, the general alienation from the regime hints at possible future challenges.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:52:15</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban, turbans and smartphones season 4, episode 5.]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 07:11:32 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/2b8b63e8-a157-49e6-8df4-b36300660bae.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="59131812" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 5 - The Ministry for Vice and Virtue

This episode considers the role of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Forbidding of Vice within the Taliban state-building project. We look at the moral code which Vice and Virtue enforcers are charged with policing. We describe the power which V&V men wield within state institutions where they act as ideological commissars. We conclude that the ministry and the law governing its actions are integral to Taliban Amir’s vision of achieving a society permanently mobilised for violent jihad.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 5 - The Ministry for Vice and Virtue

This episode considers the role of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Forbidding of Vice within the Taliban state-building project. We look at the moral code which Vice and Virtue enforcers are charged with policing. We describe the power which V&V men wield within state institutions where they act as ideological commissars. We conclude that the ministry and the law governing its actions are integral to Taliban Amir’s vision of achieving a society permanently mobilised for violent jihad.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:00:32</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Taliban, turbans and smartphones season 4, episode 5.]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 06:46:48 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/9b92c6a1-9400-46ae-9bde-b363005f40c8.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="59131812" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 5 - The Ministry for Vice and Virtue.
This episode considers the role of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Forbidding of Vice within the Taliban state-building project. We look at the moral code which Vice and Virtue enforcers are charged with policing. We describe the power which V&V men wield within state institutions where they act as ideological commissars. We conclude that the ministry and the law governing its actions are integral to Taliban Amir’s vision of achieving a society permanently mobilised for violent jihad.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 5 - The Ministry for Vice and Virtue.
This episode considers the role of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Forbidding of Vice within the Taliban state-building project. We look at the moral code which Vice and Virtue enforcers are charged with policing. We describe the power which V&V men wield within state institutions where they act as ideological commissars. We conclude that the ministry and the law governing its actions are integral to Taliban Amir’s vision of achieving a society permanently mobilised for violent jihad.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>01:00:32</itunes:duration>
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			  <title><![CDATA[Talibans turbans and smartphones Season 4, Episode 4]]></title>
			  <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:06:16 Z</pubDate>
			  <enclosure url="https://qub.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Podcast/Download/6ae8efaf-be2d-41b4-ab8a-b32300a683b4.mp4?mediaTargetType=audioPodcast" type="audio/mpeg" length="50241353" />
			  <description><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 4. “Taliban transforming the education system”

The Taliban are pursuing an ambitious education policy, covering the country’s schools, madrassahs and universities. As well as excluding girls from secondary and tertiary education, the Taliban have taken an impressive range of measures designed to end western cultural influence and produce a new generation of Afghans who “think like Taliban”. This could be described as the world’s largest extremism promotion project. Michael and Tamim explore the ambitiousness of the Taliban educational reforms.]]></description>
			  <itunes:summary><![CDATA[Season 4, Episode 4. “Taliban transforming the education system”

The Taliban are pursuing an ambitious education policy, covering the country’s schools, madrassahs and universities. As well as excluding girls from secondary and tertiary education, the Taliban have taken an impressive range of measures designed to end western cultural influence and produce a new generation of Afghans who “think like Taliban”. This could be described as the world’s largest extremism promotion project. Michael and Tamim explore the ambitiousness of the Taliban educational reforms.]]></itunes:summary>
			  <itunes:duration>00:51:13</itunes:duration>
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