The planned reductions in NATO troop numbers in Afghanistan through 2015 and a possible final withdrawal in the near future brings up numerous pressing questions about the security and national interests of not just Afghanistan, but of the broader region itself. The problem of a chaotic Afghanistan - or of an outright Taliban victory - is of great concern not only to immediate neighbors such as Iran, Pakistan, and the former Soviet Central Asian republics to the north, but also to those countries in the region with Afghanistan-related security or economic concerns, such as China and India. Further abroad, Russian, American, and European interests and plans for dealing with the fallout from Afghanistan must also be taken into account as these major powers have enduring interests in Afghanistan and the surrounding region. This work puts the prospects for short-and mid-term security dynamics at the core of this analysis, with each case being placed in the proper contemporary historical, economic, and political context. This book offers a comprehensive, nuanced, and timely account of the security situation in and around Afghanistan.

Introduction --Afghanistan : a geopolitical paradox / Amin Saikal -- U.S. policies and practices toward Afghanistan and Central Asia since 2001 / M. Nazif Shahrani -- A new phase in relations between Iran and Afghanistan / Shahram Akbarzadeh -- Beyond strategic depth? Pakistan's evolving relationship with Afghanistan / Aly Zaman -- "New regionalism" and Afghanistan : the role of India / Meena Singh Roy -- Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, desecuritization, and regional security / Reuel R. Hanks -- Kazakhstan's policy toward Afghanistan : context, drivers, and outcomes / Nargis Kassenova -- Political and economic pragmatism : Turkmenistan and Afghanistan since 1991 / Sebastien Peyrouse -- Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan's diminishing relationship / Christian Bleuer -- Central Asian security after 2014 : the case of Tajikistan / Mahmadyusuf Tashrifov -- Russia's Afghanistan policy after 2014 : staying at an arm's length and preparing for the worst / Kirill Nourzhanov -- China in Afghanistan : navigating a "terrain of hazards" in search of geopolitical opportunity? / Michael Clarke -- The European Union in the heartland : a normative power looking for a strategy in Central Eurasia / Emilian Kavalski -- Conclusion.