CIAO DATE: 08/2014
Volume: 37, Issue: 2
Summer 2014
Afghanistan's Legacy: Emerging Lessons of an Ongoing War
Stephen Biddle
In an important sense, emerging debates on the war’s lessons are premature. The war in Afghanistan is not over; nor is it ending anytime soon. Nevertheless, before conventional wisdom consolidates, two observations on counterinsurgency are worth considering now: whether it can work and how to approach governance reform.
India's Role in a Changing Afghanistan
Shashank Joshi
For India, the Western drawdown of forces in Afghanistan will represent the greatest adverse structural shift in its security environment for over a decade. Yet, a fundamental congruity of interests between Washington and New Delhi, and opportunities for cooperation, remain.
India: A Reluctant Partner for Afghanistan
Sandra Destradi
If the West wants to harness the potential of cooperating with India in Afghanistan, it needs a better appreciation of India’s engagement and motivations, as well as of New Delhi’s assets and concerns about Afghanistan’s future.
Iran's Foreign Policy in Post-Taliban Afghanistan
Kayhan Barzegar
Since 2001, this Iranian scholar argues, Iran has sought to establish security and stability, while advancing regional cooperation in Afghanistan. The only way to manage conflict in the post-exit era is for the West to accept the legitimacy of increased regional cooperation, including Iran’s involvement.
Iran's Continuing Interests in Afghanistan
Sumithra Narayanan Kutty
When it comes to Afghanistan’s future, the United States ironically has more in common with Iran than it does with Pakistan. As Western troops draw down, a look inside Iran’s enduring interests, means to secure them, unique assets, and goals that may or not conflict with other regional actors.