Afghanistan in the Snare of External Power Struggle

Abstract

The new Afghanistan policy of the US President, Donald Trump, has once again manifested the problems of country for all domestic, regional and international players in Afghanistan. A few American’s partners and allies supported it, including India and UK, while many seem uncomfortable with it, particularly, Pakistan. Indeed, lack of consensus among the major powers not only undermines the peace process in Afghanistan, but also could very well lead to a new power struggle in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, both the neighbouring states and great powers have competing interests in Afghanistan and all desires to maximize their influence in Afghanistan affairs to pursue their objectives. This article will elaborate the US Afghan strategy announced by President Trump and the interests of major powers and regional states including the US, Russia, China, India, Iran and Pakistan in Afghanistan by examining the complexities of conflict within Afghanistan induced by the convoluted power politics among regional and international actors.