نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 دانشجوی، مقطع دکتری، دانشگاه خوارزمی، دانشکده حقوق و علوم سیاسی، گرایش روتبط بین الملل.
2 دانشیار گروه علوم سیاسی، دانشکده حقوق و علوم سیاسی دانشگاه خوارزمی ایران
3 استادیار گروه روابط بین الملل، دانشکده حقوق و علوم سیاسی دانشگاه خوارزمی، تهران، ایران
4 دانشجوی مقطع کارشناسی دانشگاه خوارزمی علوم سیاسی
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan in 2021 marked a turning point in the security dynamics of West Asia and its surrounding regions. This geopolitical shift not only ended two decades of extra-regional military presence in one of the most sensitive junctions between Central, South, and West Asia, but also ushered the security environment of West Asia into a new phase in which roles, priorities, and threats were redefined. The significance of this transition stems from the fact that Afghanistan, throughout the past two decades, functioned simultaneously as a source of instability and as a space open to regional and international intervention. The U.S. withdrawal created a power vacuum whose consequences quickly reverberated across the strategic landscape of West Asia and Central Asia.
From a regional-security perspective, Afghanistan occupies a unique position by linking three major geopolitical zones. Developments inside the country directly influence the security calculations of its neighbors and larger regional powers. With the departure of U.S. forces, the fragile balance that had been sustained since 2001 collapsed, prompting multiple regional actors to engage in competitive efforts to fill the vacuum. These new circumstances elevated Afghanistan’s geopolitical weight in the broader security considerations of West Asian states, each forced to reassess its strategic posture in light of the new realities emerging in Afghanistan.
The significance of the present study lies in analyzing Afghanistan’s newly shaped position amid the evolving security rivalries of key regional powers, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Each of these states interprets developments in Afghanistan through its own threat perceptions, strategic priorities, and ideological frameworks, seeking to exploit the vacuum created by the diminished American presence. Iran’s approach centers on border stability, counterterrorism, and migration management; Saudi Arabia views Afghanistan through the prism of its rivalry with Iran; Turkey aims to expand its political-military footprint in adjacent regions; and Pakistan considers Afghanistan crucial to its long-standing notion of strategic depth and its security concerns regarding the Taliban. As a result, Afghanistan has gained increased prominence in the security calculations of these actors.
The main objective of this research is to examine the strategic position of Afghanistan within the security equations of West Asia after the U.S. withdrawal and to identify the implications of this transformation for regional balance. Within this framework, the study seeks to demonstrate how the altered power landscape in Afghanistan has contributed to the redefinition of regional security threats and how various actors, driven by disparate interests, have adopted new approaches toward the country.
The central research question is: How has the vacuum created by the absence of the United States affected Afghanistan’s role in the security dynamics of West Asia?
The research hypothesis, which remains unchanged, posits that: “The reduction of U.S. influence has increased regional competition for influence in Afghanistan and altered the structure of security threats.” This hypothesis derives from established debates in regional security studies and from empirical evidence suggesting that power vacuums in fragile environments tend to intensify competition and reshape threat patterns.
This study employs a descriptive-analytical methodology, drawing upon qualitative data and secondary sources, including academic books, peer-reviewed articles, research reports, and analyses from strategic studies centers. This approach allows for a multidimensional assessment of the complexities associated with the transformation of West Asia’s security structure following the U.S. withdrawal, enabling a coherent examination of actors, events, and interconnected security environments.
The findings reveal that post-withdrawal Afghanistan has increasingly emerged as a consequential peripheral actor in West Asia. Although lacking a cohesive centralized authority, the country’s internal instability directly influences regional threat perceptions and strategic behavior. Competition among West Asian powers for influence in Afghanistan has predominantly taken indirect and network-based forms, involving political, economic, security, and ideological tools. The research also shows that persistent instability in Afghanistan exacerbates threats such as extremism, migration, trafficking, and border insecurity—threats that possess a high potential for spillover across the region. Consequently, Afghanistan has become a sensitive focal point in the evolving security architecture of West Asia.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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