PRIO Paper on the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan

About the research project

In realization of the critical role of Afghanistan’s neighbourhood to a sustainable peace in the country, the 'Afghanistan in a Neighbourhood perspective' project describes and analyses the regional security dynamic. A basic premise of the project is that each of Afghanistan’s surrounding regions – South Asia, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf – have an inherent dominant security dynamic of their own. Hence, the engagement of neighbouring states in Afghanistan is primarily a reflection of existential security concerns within their own region.

The project will describe and analyze the security dynamic within each of the three surrounding regions, with a particular view to how it impacts on the Afghanistan policy of the various countries concerned, and with a view to key states in the larger neighbourhood and the role of global powers. We focus on the near political history, with a particular emphasis on post-2001 development. A number of questions fundamental to formulating a policy for constructive third party engagement will be addressed.

Previously published papers