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The Afghanistan Crisis: Regional and international dimensions
29/09/2009 By Robert Matthews, Fionnuala Ni Eigeartaigh
The March 30 conference in Madrid on the regional dimensions of the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis examined the possibilities and pitfalls of developing a regional approach to the mounting conflicts in these south Asian nations. The varied security and economic interests of Russia, Central Asia, Iran, India, China and the Gulf States, as well as those of the international community and its organisations, were discussed in detail.
A key element of the conference was a discussion regarding the formation of a contact group that would develop a regional diplomacy to address the deteriorating security situation in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Such multilateral diplomacy does not preclude considering the efficacy of bilateral talks where more appropriate, and may prove productive in advancing a regional solution.
Among the many advantages in creating a contact group, the most important task is addressing Pakistan's security concerns as a precondition for gaining the military’s cooperation in controlling their western border areas with Afghanistan and rethinking their past support for the Afghan Taliban.
Obstacles to the contact group include weaknesses inherent in Afghanistan’s neighbouring states which are complex and fragmented; they may also compete for resources and display mutual distrust and resentment. The realities of escalating US-NATO military operations in Afghanistan and air strikes in Pakistan could also undermine the best-intended regional dialogue on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Keywords
Afghanistan Conflict Multilateralism TerrorismRelated publications
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Bio author: Robert Matthews
Robert Matthews, Associate Fellow of FRIDE, holds a Ph.D in Latin American history from New York University, where he was a teacher at the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. For twenty years was a collaborator with the Peace Research Center - Centro de Investigación para la Paz (CIP) - in Madrid, specializing in United States foreign policy.
Bio author: Fionnuala Ni Eigeartaigh
She holds a Joint Honours BA in French and Linguistics from University College Dublin.
