Abstract
Afghanistan, a landlocked country, has been the focus of great
powers since 19th century due to its strategic locations. Soviet
Union and Great Briton were engaged in Afghanistan before the
World Wars. After Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan in 1979,
the U.S. led West with the support of Muslim countries
compelled the Red Army to withdraw in 1988. The country
became a battle field of proxy wars among the regional and
extra regional powers, creating instability in entire region. In
aftermath of the 9/11, Afghanistan once again attracted attention
of the world powers. Nature and complexity of Great Powers’
rivalry in Afghanistan has changed overtime. Instead of fighting
against a nation state the world powers are fighting against the
potential threats of extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking
that makes the war more complicated, problematic and
challenging. Currently, apart from Al-Qaeda and Taliban,
Islamic State (IS) is also becoming an active stakeholder in
Afghanistan. These developments make the Afghan problem
more complicated and ripening the grounds for another civil
war. The study argues that since Pakistan not only shares long
borders but also history, culture, interests, happiness and
sorrows with Afghanistan, therefore situation in Afghanistan
always have direct bearing on the security matrix of Pakistan.
US and NATO forces withdrawal from Afghanistan has provided
an open field to Al-Qaeda/Taliban and IS in one hand and
encourage regional and international players on another,
creating security dilemma for Pakistan.
Muhammad Karim. (2017) World Powers Rivalry in Afghanistan and Its Effects on Pakistan , The Dialogue, Volume 12, Issue 3.
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