In this episode - Tamim Asey is joined by the world-renowned Taliban expert and Afghanistan historian Professor Michael Semple for a deep dive into the lives, leadership and legacy of the Taliban’s three Emirs: Mullah Omar, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor and Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Together, they explore how the Taliban craft myths around their leaders, the role of secrecy and decentralised governance and whether there’s any space for reform within the movement. The discussion also covers the worldviews of various Taliban Emirs, the prospects of a succession crisis, economic control and the group’s enduring oppression of women.

A must-listen for anyone interested in the hidden world behind the Taliban’s rise, rule and resilience.

Topics Covered:
•Myth-making and charismatic authority of the Taliban emirs
•Secrecy, decentralisation and internal power dynamics
•The question of Taliban reform and moderation
•Taliban foreign relations with Iran, China, Russia, and the West
•Succession risks and internal fractures
•How women’s rights are framed within Taliban ideology

Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that goes beyond headlines to unpack the forces shaping Afghanistan today.

In this episode of Talibanology, podcast host Tamim Asey sits down with Emeritus Professor William Maley of the Australian National University—renowned scholar and author of The Afghanistan Wars, Rescuing Afghanistan, and What is a Refugee?

Drawing on decades of expertise, Professor Maley offers a sharp and sobering comparison between the Taliban’s first regime in the 1990s and their current rule. Has the group truly transformed from an ideological insurgency into a functioning government—or is it a return to authoritarian basics under a more polished facade?

The discussion goes beyond day-to-day Taliban rule dynamics to examine how the Taliban are reshaping Afghan society through social engineering, expanding internal surveillance and embedding the foundations of a 21st-century police state. We explore the collapse of the Afghan Republic, the failures of international diplomacy and the new strategic chessboard emerging in the region as powers like Iran, China, Pakistan, and Russia recalibrate in response.

With clarity, historical depth and critical foresight, Professor Maley unpacks what’s at stake for Afghanistan’s future and why the world should be paying close attention.

Tune in for a timely and thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of power, repression and regional geopolitics.

In this episode of Talibanology, we are joined by leading insurgency expert Dr. Antonio Giustozzi, author of The Taliban at War, The Islamic State in Khorasan, and Empires of Mud, to dissect the secretive architecture of Taliban power—its military evolution, intelligence apparatus, and internal security logic.

We explore five critical themes:

1.Militia in Uniform? The Myth and Reality of Taliban Military Transformation
Has the Taliban truly transformed from a fragmented militia into an organised national army—or is it still a network of local commanders and fighters draped in the façade of a professional force?

2.The Rise of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)
How was the Taliban’s internal intelligence body built? Is it a serious institutional actor or an ideological enforcer mimicking the statecraft of former Afghan regimes?

3.Guerrilla Logic in a State’s Clothing
Has the Taliban adapted its insurgent mindset to state governance—or is it simply repackaging guerrilla doctrine under the guise of a functioning state?

4.The ISKP Threat and the Taliban’s Counterinsurgency Playbook
Is the Taliban genuinely concerned about ISKP’s rise, or does it exaggerate the threat to tighten its own grip on power and extract concessions from the international community?

5.Surveillance, Suspicion, and Internal Control
How much of the Emirate’s intelligence infrastructure is devoted to monitoring its own ranks? Are paranoia and factionalism quietly tearing through the Taliban from within?

Finally, we ask:

Is reform within the Taliban even possible—or is the only real path to change through an internal implosion or the removal of the Emir himself?

Dr. Giustozzi brings decades of field research and piercing analysis to help us make sense of a regime that rules by fear, secrecy, and a state-in-the-making security complex.

Tune in to this unflinching look at how the Taliban governs—not just through guns and decrees but through spies, suspicion and silence.