D. Malysheva (dsheva@mail.ru),
Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), 23, Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation
Abstract. The paper analyzes the situation in Afghanistan in the context of an acute regional crisis developing there, with an active involvement of external forces in it. In addition, the author focuses on problems of regional security in the post-Soviet Central Asian states. Threats, risks and challenges coming to Central Asia from Afghanistan are estimated in detail. Special attention is paid to the activities of radical Islamist movements and transnational terrorist organizations, notably the ISIS’s “Afghan branch” – the so-called Khorasan caliphate. Russia’s new approaches to the problem of the Afghan settlement are evaluated through the prism of its efforts to maintain security in Central Asian states and to reduce tensions in the region. Taking into account the problem raised above, the paper seeks conditions under which the cooperation of the Russian Federation with China and other countries involved will contribute to a peaceful transition in Afghanistan and will affect the process of achieving Central Asian regional stability. Summarizing what has been said, we should take note the fact of unfolding a new level of competition in Asia. The involvement of Afghanistan and its Central Asian neighbors into the regional political processes is becoming more evident, although the positive potential of such interaction is not always visible. As the unipolar world is fading and the polycentric world order becomes stronger, countries of Central Asia and South Asia can take advantage of the chance that has arisen for them to become a unifying center of Asia leaving aside the mediation of non-regional powers. In this context, it seems logical to form a cooperative security system with participation of the CSTO and the SCO. It will allow Russia, China, Central Asian states and their allies in Asia to address effectively the issues related to Asian security.
Keywords: Afghanistan, post-Soviet Central Asia, security, crisis, Islamist radicalism
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