Afghanistan In Indo-Russian Strategic Calculations: The Post 9/11 Trends

The September 11 terrorists attacks on the United States and the American response changed the strategic calculations of many countries towards Afghanistan and its periphery to a great extent. The threat perception and insecurity emanating from terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism in Afghanistan heightened the strategic stakes for India and Russia in Jammu and Kashmir, and Central Asia and Chechnya respectively. Consequently, both the countries found themselves on the front lines of America’s anti-Taliban war. They openly supported the US policy and accepted the necessity of the American military operations as well as the base facilities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. But as the war in Afghanistan winds down, resentment and apprehension about a long-term US military presence in the region surfaced in both India and Russia. Thus, the US-backed Afghanistan was empowering and limiting at the same time. This article explores how Afghanistan looked from New Delhi and Moscow in the pre as well as post 9/11 scenarios, analyses the strategic dissonance between the Indian and Russian interests with that of the US, and indicates future trends. It advocates that India and Russia should work together in close collaboration with the regional actors to counter the US presence in Afghanistan and Southwest Asia in the larger interests of peace and security in the region.