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Russian Empires for control of Central Asia, has continued to permeate all discussions
regarding the region, a poignant acknowledgment of the geopolitical machinations played out
by native and foreign states alike. When analyzing the complex cycles of conflict and rivalry
that beset the continent, understanding and meaning is often more easily derived through a
simpler wisdom that encapsulates certain immutable truths pertaining to the regions history:
old chessboard, new players. The current situation then, is indeed apt; America and China,
this ages hegemons, feint and parry around one another - one of their primary theatres of
competition? The focal point tying Western and Asian civilizations together: Afghanistan.
Encompassing the historical Central Asian junction that interlinks the Far East, South-East
Asia and Western trade routes, Afghanistan serves as a geo-strategic pivot state straddling
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Central Asia and South Asia. This juxtaposition provides Afghanistan with a unique capacity
for facilitating inter-regional nodes of commerce and cooperation. A capacity possessed by
whomever controls Afghanistan at the time. Control in this sense should be seen within the
larger concept of the balance of power, in which America and China each try to act as
determiners of Afghanistans future via influencing foreign policy interests. Each superpower
has in turn recognised and built connections around the two prime issues at the heart of
Afghanistans woes: security and economy. As is well known, America has devoted
substantial energies to both sectors, but with special emphasis on the former. From a
geopolitical perspective, Afghanistan represents a viable, geographic base from which US
forces (and their subsequent interests) could preside over the emerging power centers of
Central and South Asia. On the other hand, China has approached relations with Afghanistan
from a singular economic standpoint: trade-flows instead of bloodflows. However, Chinese
policymakers have acknowledged the symbiotic relationship existing between the two issues
in much the same manner as the Americans, however their promises of military aid are
ancillary to their offer of an economic package - as well as being far more opaque. It is then
that the conceptualization of a grand Silk Road policy was born, encompassing politicoeconomic variables that continued the tradition of Great Power politics being played out in
Central Asia. These two regional trends will be measured by their implementation of
Afghanistan as a conduit for shaping economic integration and interdependence in the region.
First: The US Silk Road Conception
In 2011, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton delivered a speech defining the USs Central Asia
policy, termed the New Silk Road Initiative. The US conceived of an international
economic and transit network stretching between Central Asia and South Asia, with
Afghanistan as the geographic node: Turkmen gas fields could help meet both Pakistans
and Indias growing energy needs and provide significant transit revenues for both
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tajik cotton could be turned into Indian linens. Furniture and fruit
from Afghanistan could find its way to the markets of Astana or Mumbai and beyond.
Analysts consider this policy initiative as being aimed at pre-emptive neutralization of the
Chinese modus operandi for diplomatic engagements: civil infrastructure development and
trade deregulation as drivers of regional cooperation and foreign direct investment. US efforts
to minimize Chinese monopolization of regional markets can be discerned further in privatepublic partnerships such as the PamirEnergy hydropower station in southeastern Tajikistan,
which provides electricity along the Tajik-Afghan border. The scheme is also thought to
strengthen the Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement, which would improve bilateral
dialogue on other disputes, such as water scarcity surrounding access to the Kabul River
Basin. The increased US focus on Afghanistans cross-border trade linkages has prompted the
Asian Development Bank, through the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation
(CAREC) program, to fund a project that will establish railway between the Afghan city of
Mazar-e-Sharif to Hairatan on the northern border with Uzbekistan.