... their withdrawal.
The NATO withdrawal creates significant hurdles for regional stability and a power vacuum in Central Asia. There are several players, both internal and external, who are seeking to fill the void left by the Americans and their allies. Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkey, China and Russia seem poised to play the next “
great game
” in the so-called “
graveyard of empires
”. Some of these states have a vested interest in the stability of Afghanistan to ensure regional security and foster economic interests as well ...
... actually do it. The thing is, if we do not see any real steps made in the intra-Afghan process, then the Americans will find it increasingly difficult to put on a happy face. This is what makes the joint call of the special representatives of Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan for foreign troops in Afghanistan to “withdraw in an orderly and responsible manner to ensure a smooth transition” published on May 18, 2020, particularly relevant. Both the government of Afghanistan and U.S. officials have made it clear ...
... to an overbearing Washington, in multiple sub-regional areas, from the AFPAK theatre to the Middle Eastern vector. The Russia-China axis constitutes a significant pillar, alternatively framing and shaping the potential contours of a futuristic Afghanistan, and in concert with Pakistan, which can bring certainly material, if not game-changing influence to bear, on ultimate transpiring. Hence, it’s a ... ... in the face of deepening ties with Washington. Russia was no less central to ironing out the creases that led to the P5+1 — Iran arrangement of the JCPOA, in that it had a protagonist-cum-superintendence role to dispose of, in the accord’s sequential ...
Coordinated actions between Russia and China could have a positive effect on regional stability
The Middle East is a region ... ... experts have helped to build the first nuclear power plant in the Middle East near the Iranian city of Bushehr, and the two sides have signed contracts on the construction... ... trading partner for them. What is more, the massive and strategically important China–Pakistan Economic Corridor leads right into the Middle East. All this notwithstanding...
... Caspian Sea.
There is the risk that India, ever sceptical of an energy partnership with Pakistan, might eventually abandon the project. Should this happen, China could potentially step in. If Beijing manages to seize the initiative from New Delhi in the Iranian offshore pipeline project, then China and Pakistan will be able to use the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to supply gas to the former’s western provinces. In fact, RT–Global Resources, a subsidiary of Russia’s Rostec Corporation, is currently laying a gas pipeline with an annual ...
... with UN sanctions lifted there was nothing left to block the country’s accession. But not enough support materialized. China had previously announced its support for Iran’s membership when President Xi Jinping visited the county in January, but in the run up to the summit this support evaporated. Beijing reportedly wanted to focus on the accession of Pakistan and India before turning to Iran. Other SCO countries did not even acknowledge discussing Iranian membership in their ...
