Т. 1. «Азия и Африка: Наследие и современность»

Asia and Africa: their Heritage and Modernity. Vol. 1 403 XII. Круглый стол: «Ближний Восток как важнейший узел «Евразийской дуги нестабильности» Round table discussion: “Middle East as a Major Centre of “The Arch of Instability on the Rim of Eurasia and North Africa” Javed Zafar (Centre for Study and Research, Hyderabad) Contemporary Afghan Crisis: A Regional Perspective TheAfghan crisis is the result of a continued political mismanagement and foreign power interventions for more than 100 years. In the 19 th century Russian and British Empires competed to control Afghanistan, but eventually both powers retreated from there. The contemporaryAfghan crisis is basically a result of US invasion after 9/11. US military campaign has been the longest military campaign in US military history, but the crisis inAfghanistan is being deepened as the US military campaign continues. Thus, the first objection of the proposed paper is analysing the historical background and reasons behind US failure to solve the Afghan crises. As the US and NATO failed to stabilize Afghanistan, Russia and China, in con- nection with regional countries such as Pakistan and Iran, are taking some steps to resolve the crises. Russia is not an outside player like US and European countries, but a neighbour, thus the security of Russia and its Central Asian “backyard” is directly affected by the situation in Afghanistan. Therefore Russia is trying to form some new alliances with Afghan neighbours and major regional stakeholders, and a recent Russian-led conference in Moscow for Afghan crises solution can be seen in this light. The proposed paper will also highlight the emerging Russian role in the contemporary Afghan crises solution. Afghan neighbours, such as Pakistan, Central Asian Countries (CAC) and Iran also play an important role in the crises management. Their role will also be discussed in the present paper – as well as their strategy and approaches to the Afghan issue.