The Realist Prism: Can Spheres of Influence Solve Afghanistan?

While Afghanistan has often been touted as the crucible for the regeneration of the Western alliance, it also offers another opportunity for the United States: a means to promote a stabilizing modus vivendi between India and China.

In his recent WPR Briefing on China's stake in containing Pakistani militants, Michael Kugelman observed, "Pakistan's instability threatens the security of China's citizens, its government and its energy imports," particularly when it comes to the "combustible province of Baluchistan." He notes, "Whenever China has demanded something of Islamabad, the latter has often complied." ...