AFGHANISTAN AND POLICY OF THE NEIGHBOURS

This strategic analysis examines the policies of regional powers toward Afghanistan during the late 1980s, a critical period of Soviet withdrawal and emerging civil conflict. The article explores how neighboring countries including Pakistan, Iran, India, and China have approached the Afghan conflict and analyzes their strategic interests, policy instruments, and influence on evolving dynamics. The research investigates Pakistani policy toward Afghanistan, examining support for mujahideen groups, refugee management challenges, and strategic calculations regarding regional influence. The study analyzes Iranian approaches, assessing ideological, security, and regional considerations in Tehran's Afghanistan policy. The article examines Indian positions, analyzing New Delhi's relationship with successive Afghan governments and its concerns about regional stability and great power involvement. The research also evaluates Chinese policy, assessing Beijing's security concerns and strategic interests in the Afghanistan context. Furthermore, the analysis considers how regional power policies intersect with superpower interests and assesses the prospects for regional cooperation in addressing the Afghanistan crisis.

The Afghanistan conflict represented a crucial regional security challenge during the late 1980s, with this article providing a comprehensive analysis of neighboring country policies as Soviet withdrawal unfolded. The research begins by examining the historical context of regional involvement in Afghanistan, tracing the evolution from traditional relationships through the Soviet invasion to the emerging post-withdrawal landscape. The analysis explores Pakistani policy in depth, investigating support for various mujahideen factions, management of refugee flows, strategic calculations regarding regional influence, and concerns about future Afghan government orientations. The article examines Iranian approaches, assessing how revolutionary ideology, Shiite community concerns, regional competition with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and broader Middle East dynamics shape Tehran's Afghanistan policy. The study investigates Indian positions, analyzing New Delhi's relationship with Afghan governments, concerns about Pakistani influence, strategic interests in Central Asia access, and approaches to great power involvement in the region. The research evaluates Chinese policy, assessing Beijing's concerns about Islamic extremism, Uighur separatism, regional stability, and strategic competition with other powers in Central Asia. Based on the comprehensive assessment, the article analyzes how regional power policies interact with each other and with broader international dynamics, and assesses the prospects for cooperative approaches to Afghanistan's stabilization. The findings provide valuable insights into the complex regional dimensions of internal conflicts and contribute to understanding how neighboring states navigate security challenges with significant cross-border implications.