Intrastate conflict and transformation of the media system: The case of Afghanistan
Media, War & Conflict (2025), 19 pp.
"This study aims to extend the media system framework to analyse the transformation process of media systems within fragile states that suffer from intrastate conflict. This theoretical goal is achieved through the scrutinization of the transformation of the Afghan media system throughout the Taliban takeover. Through conducting 21 semi-structured interviews with Afghan journalists, the authors examined the Afghan media system before, during and after the intrastate conflict escalation in 2021. The results showed that the media system in Afghanistan was highly fragmented before the Taliban took over. Consequently, the Taliban capitalized on this fragmented structure by optimizing an effective digital propaganda campaign that facilitated their victory in 2021. As a result of this armed victory, the Taliban started their campaign to control the communication sphere, forming an authoritarian proto-state media system. The results help to enhance comparative media systems analysis and to refine dynamic and conflict-related aspects." (Abstract)
"This study examines intrastate conflict, state fragility, and media system change in Afghanistan across three analytical stages: (a) the period before the escalation of conflict in early 2021, (b) the first eight months of escalation ending with the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, and (c) the period after 2021. While the link between state fragility and media systems is central to the analysis, the study shows that other structural factors, especially political ties and fragmentation, are crucial for understanding media change in conflict zones. Interview evidence suggests that Afghan media outlets were closely connected to political parties, ethnic groups, foreign donors, and media owners, resulting in a highly fragmented media landscape before 2021. This fragmentation not only weakened institutional resilience but also created conditions that the Taliban later exploited through coordinated digital propaganda and strategic communication efforts." (commbox review by Hazrat Bahar)
Introduction -- Case study: Afghanistan -- Intrastate conflicts and media systems -- Media systems in fragile states -- Methodology -- Results -- Discussion
