Mapping Contours of Reconciliation and Peace Process in Afghanistan: Policy Options for Pakistan

Mirza, Muhammad Nadeem; Abbas, Hussain; Baneen, Ummul

doi:10.36968/jpdc-v04-i01-01

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Its fighters, who have escaped killing or capture, have gone back underground and re-emerged in different parts of the world. Existence of ISIS elements in Afghanistan confirmed the fear that they have the capacity to expand, even after their tactical defeat in Syria and Iraq (Mirza et al, 2020).…”

Section: International Actors: Motivations and Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 88%

Anatomising Syrian crisis: Enumerating actors, motivations, and their strategies (2011-2019)

Mirza

Abbas

Qaisrani

2021

Lib. Arts Soc. Sci. Int. J.

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Syrian crisis started as a domestic uprising against President Bashar-ul-Assad, and soon engulfed not only the neighbouring states, but also extra-regional great powers. This study tries to anatomise the crisis by addressing the nature of the actors lying at domestic, regional, and system levels, who have rendered the conflict its multifaceted nature. The main question this study addresses is: What are the actors and factors that have contributed to the complexity of the Syrian Civil War and why has this conflict degenerated into a prolonged violent engagement between different groups? While using the theoretical prism of contentious theory of civil war developed by Adrian Florea and in-depth qualitative case study as methodological tool, this study hypothesizes that grievances at the domestic level have resulted in the onset of the conflict in Syria, which was later exacerbated and prolonged by the rise of ISIS and strategic competition among the regional and system level powers. The study concludes that, though the crisis is not over yet, increasing interests and overtures by Saudi Arabia and the domestic growing Syrian animosity towards Iran has opened new avenues for regional and extra-regional involvement in the post-conflict reconstruction for effective governance, peace, and stability in Syria.

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Section: International Actors: Motivations and Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 88%

Anatomising Syrian crisis: Enumerating actors, motivations, and their strategies (2011-2019)

Mirza

Abbas

Qaisrani

2021

Lib. Arts Soc. Sci. Int. J.

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“…American invasion of Afghanistan (Mirza, Abbas, & Baneen, 2020) was interpreted as an extension of its Central Asian policy to challenge Russian and ultimately Chinese political, economic and military influence. This brought Central Asia from the periphery of international politics to the centre of geopolitics.…”

Section: The Scramble For Central Asiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Heartland, Rimland, and the Grand Chessboard Deciphering the Great Power Politics in Central Asia

Mirza¹,

Ayub²

2022

UWJSS

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As the twenty-first century progresses, struggle for the control of Central Asia is growing, as rising China increases its economic and political clout while Russia is trying to regain its lost glory. The American presence in the region was considered as a threat not only by China, but also Russia who feared that the US is determined to carve out its sphere of influence at their expense. The recent withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan and Taliban re- taking Kabul further complicates the geopolitical calculations. China and Russia have been cooperating to ensure that the adjoining region, typically falling under Russian sphere of influence, may not become an American influenced area. Where China has emerged as one of the biggest trading partners of the Central Asian Republics, and Russia has signed several bilateral and multilateral security agreements to ensure its continued influence therein. Eurasia generally and Central Asia specifically, once again, is back to the limelight of great powers politics. This study traces the conceptual evolution of geopolitics, from Ratzel’s Lebensraum, Kjellen’s theory of state as an organism, to the Mahan conception of the sea power, among others. It discusses the collective geopolitical insights of Halford Mackinder, Nicholas Spykman, and Zbigniew Brzezinski who focussed on the concepts of Heartland, Rimland, and Grand Chessboard, respectively, to decipher the geopolitics of Eurasia. Keywords: Central Asia, Geopolitics, Lebensraum, Heartland, Rimland.

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“…He started his Afghan policy with an R4+S Strategy -Regionalize, Realign, Reinforce, Reconcile, and Sustain (Mirza, 2017) and dropped MOAB (sarcastically called Mother of All Bombs) in Afghanistan. He ended with his appointment of Zalmay Khalilzad as Special Representative for Afghanistan and approaching Pakistan for the help smoothed the way for the deal (Mirza, Abbas, & Baneen, 2020).…”

Section: Isis and Baghdadi's Killingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Populism in the United States: Binary Constructions by Donald Trump in the Domestic and Foreign Policies

Mirza

Ali

Qaisrani

2021

GSSR

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This study intends to explore the rise of Donald Trump to the White House. Why was Donald Trump considered a populist leader, and how did his populist rhetoric and actions impact the contours of American domestic and foreign policies? The study adopted qualitative exploratory and explanatory research techniques. Specific methods utilised to conduct the study remained political personality profiling. It finds that the populist leaders construct the binaries in the society by dividing the nation into two groups: �us� the people, against �them� the corrupt elite or other groups presented as a threat to the lives and livelihood of the nation. Though populism as a unique brand of politics remained active through most of the US history, yet these were only two occasions that populists were successful in winning the American presidential elections � Andrew Jackson in 1828 and Donald Trump in 2016. Structural and historical reasons became the biggest cause behind the election of Donald Trump, who successfully brought a revolution in American domestic and foreign policies. And if structural issues in the United States are not addressed, there is a clear chance that Trump � who is not withering away � will come back to contest and challenge any competitors in the 2024 presidential elections.

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Mapping Contours of Reconciliation and Peace Process in Afghanistan: Policy Options for Pakistan

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Anatomising Syrian crisis: Enumerating actors, motivations, and their strategies (2011-2019)

Anatomising Syrian crisis: Enumerating actors, motivations, and their strategies (2011-2019)

Heartland, Rimland, and the Grand Chessboard Deciphering the Great Power Politics in Central Asia

Populism in the United States: Binary Constructions by Donald Trump in the Domestic and Foreign Policies

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