Jan 31, 2012

By: Brian R. Kerr
Indian and Pakistani competition for influence in Afghanistan is not a recent phenomenon. Ever since the partition of South Asia and the creation of the Durand Line, India and Pakistan have been grappling for influence over their historically weaker neighbour, Afghanistan. Academic work on Indian-Pakistani competition has waxed and waned with the existing tensions of the past six decades, and recently the focus has been on the potential of a proxy war in Afghanistan and its broader relevance. For instance, a recent academic work on Indian-Pakistani competition in Afghanistan by Ganguly and Howenstein, discusses the history of the competition and concludes with projections on the implications of such competition for regional US policy.  With this precedent in mind, rather than make policy recommendations, this article highlights the role of the Afghan government in encouraging and dissuading efforts by Pakistan and India to gain economic and political influence in Afghanistan. This article begins by discussing the ethnic dynamics of this competition followed by a discussion of some of the major examples of contemporary Indian/Pakistani competition for influence. In the post-2001 period, this competition has begun to evolve into two broad categories: economic and diplomatic competition. In conclusion, the article discusses the role of Afghanistan and the potential consequences of its actions vis-à-vis Indian-Pakistani competition in the post-2014 period.


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