🌍 Changing Regional Apparatus – Pakistan’s Role in the Region
🔹 1) Overview

The South Asian region has been witnessing uncertain geopolitical dynamics around sore trouble areas like Afghanistan and Kashmir, shifting American and Russian relations with India and Pakistan, and an enhanced Chinese footprint with Pakistani and other smaller powers’ assistance.

Major external powers which influence South Asian geopolitics are the US, Russia, and China. While US–Pakistan relations have taken a nosedive after the Trump Administration declared military aid cuts, Pakistan is trying to offset the loss by courting China and Russia.

China has already heavily invested in Pakistan to fulfill its geopolitical dream project — the One Belt One Road initiative. Russia and Pakistan are inching closer as defence partners and trying to combine their efforts at fighting terrorism.

On the other side, the Trump Administration expressed its willingness to forge close defence ties with India and cast India in a more prominent role in its Indo-Pacific policy and Afghan strategy. India’s strategic relationship with Russia is at a crossroads given the pro-Western thrust in its defence and trade policies.

The United States’ quest to “hunt down extremist militants from Afghanistan,” and its mission “to ensure that Afghanistan is never again a safe haven for terrorism,” is apparently over. Washington is trying to woo the Taliban to the table.

The anticipated exit of the US from the region is definitely going to launch a power struggle in the region, with far-reaching effects. The induction of Saudi Arabia into CPEC is going to further complicate the already complex regional geo-political contour. 🌐