Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 08/2014

Iran, Afghanistan, and South Asia: Resolving Regional Sources of Instability

Fatemah Aman, Barbara Slavin

November 2013

Atlantic Council

Abstract

While attention focuses on US nuclear talks with Iran, an improved US-Iran relationship could have major benefits for another US priority: shoring up stability in Afghanistan during the 2014 withdrawal of most US and NATO forces. A new South Asia Center issue brief by Fatemeh Aman and Barbara Slavin, “Iran, Afghanistan, and South Asia: Resolving Regional Sources of Instability,” examines Iran’s relations with its eastern neighbors and suggests steps to deal with acute challenges - including scarce and poorly managed water resources, energy imbalances, ethnic insurgencies, and drug trafficking - that could be alleviated by US-backed regional solutions.