... influence (particularly, in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) means an enlarged security role for Turkey in its backyard may be received coolly by Moscow.
Iran
Iran, which shares a 900+ km land border with Afghanistan, also intends to play a greater role in Afghanistan following the departure of its NATO adversaries. Iran, a Shiite-majority nation, has a complicated relationship with the Sunni Taliban. The two have long had ideological differences that have been
glazed over
due to a common enemy in the United States. The Afghan government has
accused
both Iran and ...
... it does not meet its immediate security interests, an avenue has been opened up in between Kabul and the Taliban.
For the past months, President Karzai has extensively worked to further bilateral cooperation with India, Pakistan and most importantly, Iran, determined as he is to create a network of economic, military and political alliances which will counteract any insurgency movement in Afghanistan; a move many experts have said could be prove far more effective than Washington’s military contingency plan.
No more than NATO wants to see Afghanistan fall against the Taliban and revert to its pre-2001 failed state status; regional powers are too, rooting for a politically and economically sound Afghanistan.
A fine prize in terms of untapped natural resources and vast ...
