This episode of The IR thinker examines the Afghan refugee crisis in Pakistan with Ido Gadi Raz, analysing the scale of Afghan displacement, associated security concerns and Islamabad’s evolving policy response. The conversation explores the Taliban’s role, the economic and geopolitical implications for both states, the colonial legacy of the border, and the risks of wider conflict in a nuclear-armed regional context.
Ido Gadi Raz is a researcher specialising in the Afghanistan–Pakistan region, with a focus on terrorism, geopolitics and international relations. He is a fast-track PhD candidate in International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and previously worked as a financial intelligence analyst in the Israeli government sector. Holding a BA in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic from Bar-Ilan University, he contributes to scholarly debate through journal articles and analytical pieces and is a regular commentator on Afghan–Pakistani affairs in the Israeli media.
Publications:
Pakistan-Israel Relations: A Chance of Normalization?
Against all Expectations: Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations after the American Withdrawal
The United States Withdrawal from Afghanistan after Two Decades of a Global War on Terrorism
Far But Present: Israel’s Three Major Threats Coming From Afghanistan – Analysis
Content
00:00 - Introduction
02:21 - Afghan Displacement: Scale and Impact
08:07 - Security Concerns for Returning Afghans
12:09 - Border Dynamics and International Response
16:49 - Revisiting Pakistan’s Afghan Visa Policy
18:23 - Pakistan’s Response: Strategy and Tactics
22:13 - Taliban’s Crisis Management
24:05 - Pakistan’s Political Crisis and Afghan Exodus
29:34 - Terrorist Groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan
34:56 - Pakistan-Afghanistan Economic Ties
40:18 - Afghan-Pak Border: Colonial Legacy
42:22 - Diplomacy in the Refugee Crisis
44:06 - Need for Mediation in Pakistan-Afghanistan
46:23 - Cultural Aspects of the Crisis
48:14 - Pashtuns’ Role in the Situation
49:41 - Long-Term Policies for Crisis Resolution
51:49 - Conflict Risks: Pakistan vs Afghanistan
54:25 - Nuclear Factors in the Crisis
56:41 - Research Challenges in Pakistan-Afghanistan
58:11 - Afghan-Pakistani Scholar Collaboration
59:14 - Suggested Research Areas
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