The Taliban Phenomenon
The victory of the Taliban (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation) over the US and the puppet government of Afghanistan (as well as the NATO forces occupying the country) in 2021 changed the regional geopolitics of Central Asia. On the one hand, a power vacuum (in the usual sense) emerged and on the other hand, some threats began to transform more intensely. For example, control of the north-western border became a pressing issue for Pakistan because the Taliban do not recognise established international borders and because there is a separate Taliban entity within Pakistan that qualifies as a terrorist organisation.