No 7 (2025)
Top problem
Administrative Governance in Idlib: An Experience of Organisation for the Liberation of the Levant
Abstract
The article examines the experience of territorial governance of the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant (also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), whose operation against the Syrian army led to the fall of Bashar alAssad’s regime on December 8, 2024. It details how the leaders of the faction, once affiliated with al-Qaeda, created and enhanced the effectiveness of quasi-state entities and soft power tools by rebuilding infrastructure, organizing educational processes, negotiating with minorities, and convening conferences with tribal leaders. The article presents data demonstrating both positive and negative results of the experience of territorial governance of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham faction and its affiliated Salvation Government, on the basis of which the interim government of Syria was established on December 9, 2024. It is shown that the faction combined forceful actions against its opponents with the initiation of anticrisis measures that allowed it to increase its legitimacy among the local population.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):5–12
5–12
Politics, economics
Political Islam in Afghanistan: At the Service of the Government and the Armed Opposition from 2014 till the Second Seizure of Power by the Taliban
Abstract
Political Islam has been one of the most important but attendant factors of the civil war in Afghanistan. The last phase of the existence of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (in 2014–2021, during Ashraf Ghani’s presidency), which ended with the second seizure of power in the country by the Taliban, was not an exception. Political Islam was instrumental for both parties to military conflict (the government and the armed opposition) in the context of the power struggle. Both parties underpinned by political Islam their own victory claims and assertions to keep or assume power respectively. Kabul primarily invoked to political Islam via national Ulama Council in support of its policy. The armed opposition used political Islam to prove Government’s illegitimacy and justify the necessity of fighting against the Republican regime. The results of this period of civil war in Afghanistan showed that insurgents’ Islamic rhetoric had turned out to be more effective in terms of propaganda and political mobilization. It was one of the reasons for the fall of the Republican Government in Afghanistan in 2021.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):13–20
13–20
On the Problem of Family Planning Policy in Modern Africa
Abstract
Population growth with long-term negative consequences for Africa and globally – due to increased migration flows – prompts African and Western countries and international organizations to ensure financing demographic policies to reduce birth rates. Family planning programs are the main component of the demographic strategy. The implementation of these programs varies greatly by region, country, social strata, families’ socio-economic level, place of residence, religious affiliation, etc. In South and North Africa the demographic transition is completing or has been completed, in West and Central Africa the fertility decline rates are slow. In some African countries, both the birth rate and its decline rate are high; in rare countries, it has fallen to the replacement level or below; in others, fertility is high and declining slowly. In South and North Africa contraceptive practice is focused on modern medications in combination with traditional ones, in other regions traditional methods dominate; they are much more accessible, but low-efficiency. Due to the high cost of modern means, the poor cannot afford them. Demographers emphasize that family planning programs must be reoriented toward the poorest social classes. Otherwise, given the current slow rate of birth rate decline, the replacement level will be reached in a hundred years.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):21–27
21–27
ASEAN Countries’ Transition to a Circular Economy – a Means of Minimizing Damage from Climate Challenges
Abstract
This article summarizes the most significant climate threats and environmental challenges specific to each of the ten ASEAN member countries and the region as a whole. The current priority is to prevent the exacerbation of the impacts caused by natural disasters through additional anthropogenic accidents, as the combined impact of these factors could lead to negative synergies with potentially catastrophic results. In this regard, it is emphasized that ASEAN is making significant efforts to modernize infrastructure and develop appropriate policy and institutional mechanisms to facilitate the implementation of the circular economy model in the region, which is seen as a key tool for mitigating damage from climate risks. In general, the process of introducing the concept of circular economy in ASEAN countries is progressing, although relatively slow. At the same time, some countries are taking significant steps to move to a sustainable development trajectory. In the countries where there has been a relative slowdown or stagnation in the introduction of circular economy, overcoming policy obstacles to ensure institutional prioritization is key to progress. It is important to create a sustainable understanding that the implementation of circular economy is not only a mechanism for environmental protection, but also an effective tool for achieving economic growth, deepening international integration and ensuring long-term sustainability of the region’s development as a whole.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):28–36
28–36
Prospects for Cooperation between Russia and the UAE in the Field of Information Security
Abstract
The article discusses the prospects of cooperation between Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in information security. This cooperation is part of broader interactions that were legally consolidated in the June 1, 2018 Declaration on Strategic Cooperation. The UAE’s success in information technology and security is related to sustained economic growth, which has provided the necessary technology and highly qualified specialists. However, despite both states announcing their intention to cooperate and jointly counter cyber threats, there has been a noticeable slowdown in implementing the announced projects. This is partly due to external and internal issues in Russia and the UAE. For example, the development of Russia’s information technology sector has slowed due to large-scale sanctions and the consequences of the financial and economic crisis in recent years. In turn, the UAE is located in an unstable region where religious terrorism and extremism pose a threat, and the number of hacker attacks is growing.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):37–46
37–46
Paraguay: The Last South American Ally of Taiwan?
Abstract
The article examines the specifics of the development of Paraguay-Taiwan relations. The concept of ideological unity, which was the historical basis for Taiwan-Paraguay cooperation, is being replaced by a fundamentally different system of interaction between the two. A new system is built by both partners on the idea of obtaining political and economic benefits. The political elites of Paraguay are currently rethinking country’s policy, seeing opportunities for developing economy in an alliance with the People’s Republic of China instead of Taiwan. Based on the analysis of a number of US documents, attention is paid to the US factor and its policy of supporting Taiwan’s allies. The article traces the consistent growth of Paraguay’s interest in establishing trade and economic ties and searching for new opportunities within Asian countries (primarily Southeast nations). The author analyzes the prospects for the development of Paraguay-China relations, and the influence of US policy and economic activities of Asian nations on it. Continuing the policy of support for Taiwan could lead to greater diversification of Paraguay’s trade and economic alliances. Otherwise, China may become Paraguay’s main trade partner in case of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):47–54
47–54
US in Nepal: Real Aid or a Geopolitical Trap?
Abstract
Nepal is one of the least developed landlocked states, which has always depended on international aid, with the US being one of its main donors. Since the mid-2010s, a $500 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the largest in Nepal’s history, has become the “flagship” project of bilateral cooperation. The 2017 agreement provoked mixed reactions among Nepali society and elites, who believed that several of its provisions violated national sovereignty and forced the state to act in accordance with the US Indo-Pacific Strategy. Despite assurances from Washington, ratification of the agreement took nearly 5 years and was achieved only due to US pressure. For now, it is difficult to assess the consequences of accepting American aid for Nepal, but it is safe to say that its southern neighbour India is the biggest beneficiary.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):55–62
55–62
Post-graduate tribune
Political and Legal Aspects of the Use of the Kurdish Language in Iraq
Abstract
According to the Iraqi Constitution of 2005, Kurdish is an official language in the Republic of Iraq along with Arabic, and these languages must be used equally in all spheres of state activity. Note that the population speaking Kurdish is concentrated in the north of the country. The article examines the provisions of the Constitution concerning the scope of application of official languages and articles of the laws on official languages issued separately by the federal government and the government of the Kurdistan region. The actual implementation of the provisions of the Constitution and laws at both the federal and local levels is considered. Special attention is paid to the use of official languages in the field of education in Iraq and the Kurdistan region and the spheres of use of the so-called local official languages – minority languages in the areas of their residence.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):63–68
63–68
Culture, literature, art
The Mythologeme “Japan – Russia – the West” in Kafka Asagiri’s Ranobe “Bungo Stray Dogs”
Abstract
The article uses the mythopoetics (considering culture as a text) to explore the specifics of the mythologeme “Japan – Russia – the West” implementation in Kafka Asagiri's Ranobe cycle “Bungo Stray Dogs”. It is argued that this mythologeme is created through the method of mythologizing cultural historical names (names of Japanese, European and Russian authors) and reflects the ideas of the modern Japanese nation about Russia and Europe, as well as about its own state and culture in the context of the historical process. It is concluded that the peculiarities of the mythologization in the considered Ranobe indicate the radicalization of civil-patriotic sentiments in Japan in the face of violent processes of europeanization and globalization in the modern world and reflect the current state of national thought in Japan, namely, an attempt at self-determination and self-identification in relation to the culture and principles of world hegemony, of Russia and the West. The specific pop-cultural archetypes and cliches that define the behavior of characters in the novellas contribute to the effective dissemination of these ideas to a young audience influenced by ideological opponents of modern Japan through New Media.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(7):69–76
69–76
Book review
77–79