In the aftermath of the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, concerns over regional security and connectivity have taken center stage. Dr. Mélanie Sadozaï, a post-doctoral fellow with extensive fieldwork experience, presents a nuanced policy brief addressing the evolving dynamics along the northern borders of Afghanistan and their implications for Central Asia.
Security Challenges and Policy Objectives
Sadozaï underscores the need to address security challenges through a lens of regional connectivity and cross-border activities. With a focus on the northern borders, particularly Tajikistan-Afghanistan and Uzbekistan-Afghanistan, the report emphasizes the importance of localized cross-border initiatives for peace and stability.
Regional Initiatives and Connectivity Projects
Drawing attention to Secretary General Helga Schmid's remarks on increased willingness for regional cooperation, Sadozaï explores region-led initiatives. She highlighted the involvement of Pakistan and China in filling the security vacuum left by the United States' withdrawal, emphasizing projects like the Trans-Afghan Railway and China's Belt and Road Initiative. These initiatives, coupled with localized cross-border trade, could contribute to stability.
Border Stability Assessment and Connectivity Impact
Sadozaï challenges the narrative framing Afghanistan's northern border as a zone of danger, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding. The report argues that limited stability assessments and an exclusive focus on security and border management oversimplify the complex dynamics. Instead, it advocates for open borders to facilitate people-to-people contact and trade.
Connectivity for Economic Development
Sadozaï emphasized the economic aspects of connectivity, asserting that closed borders exacerbate the economic challenges faced by borderland communities. Highlighting the positive impact of cross-border markets and humanitarian aid, the author argues for financial investments in cross-border trade facilities, rather than solely in security infrastructure.
Policy Recommendations
To address the identified challenges, Sadozaï proposes three key policy recommendations:
Support Regional Connectivity Projects: Advocate for regional and people-to-people connectivity projects, emphasizing the importance of cross-border markets and humanitarian turnover.
Open Northern Borders for Trade: Propose the opening of all northern borders of Afghanistan for trade, humanitarian aid, and cross-border community movement.
Invest in Cross-Border Trade Facilities: Direct financial investments toward cross-border trade facilities, emphasizing that connected borders lead to stability.
The policy brief provides a comprehensive analysis of the security and connectivity landscape in Central Asia and Afghanistan. It urges a shift in focus from a discourse of danger to viewing borders as connectivity devices, emphasizing the potential economic and social benefits of open borders. The recommendations outlined aim to guide policymakers toward sustainable stability in the region.
Earlier Daryo reported that the joint initiative to build the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway is conceived as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) following the Build-Operate-Transfer framework. The participating entities have also agreed on promoting multimodal transportation along the Trans-Afghan corridor, pledging to decrease transport costs, simplify cargo transit procedures, and accelerate railway development in Afghanistan.
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