Competing for Strategic Depth
India‒pakistan Strategic Competition in Afghanistan Since the 2021 U.S. Exit
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20205885 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Linta Khattak (0009-0002-2642-6301), Xiaolong Zou (0000-0002-6564-2333) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 77-92 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-18 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Trames Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1406-0922 • E-ISSN: 1736-7514 |
| Publisher | Estonian Academy Publishers (PUBLISHER • EE) |
| DOI | 10.3176/tr.2026.1.04 |
| OpenAlex | W7161557938 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
After the withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO from Afghanistan, the geopolitical dynamics of the region have been significantly transformed. This power vacuum has rendered Afghanistan a contested space for India and Pakistan to pursue their strategic depth while countering each otherâ s influence. India, to achieve its national interests, utilizes soft power and a calculated strategic approach through limited collaboration with the Taliban to contain Pakistanâ s influence. Conversely, Pakistan supports the Taliban regime and employs non-state actors as leverage to secure and maintain strategic depth against India. The study, while adopting the theoretical framework of the Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT), hypothesizes that geopolitical competition in post U.S. withdrawal Afghanistan has influenced the role of Afghanistan in the South Asian security architecture by fueling the proxy warfare, influencing regional security dynamics, ultimately leaving Afghanistan as a contested geographical space central to the Indiaâ Pakistan strategic competition
Central asia · Geopolitics · National security · South asia · Strategic planning · Belt and Road Initiative · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Studies and Conflicts
| Highly cited | No |
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