On 17 June 2021, the NATO Defense College and the Royal United Service Institute (RUSI) co-hosted a webinar on the future of Afghanistan and neighboring states.
With US and NATO forces poised to withdraw fully from Afghanistan by September, experts from RUSI and the NATO Defense College presented the findings of a joint study, published as an NDC Research Paper and entitled, ‘Regional Powers and Post-NATO Afghanistan’, edited by Aniseh Bassiri Trabrizi, non-resident associate fellow at the NATO Defense College and David G. Lewis, Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Exeter.
The publication looks at how powers such as Iran, Pakistan, Russia, China, India, Central Asia and the Gulf states approach Afghanistan and its long-running conflict. The study seeks to map the diverse perspectives of Afghanistan’s neighbours; to identify their interests in the country; and to outline their views on how to promote peace and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a source of regional violence and instability.
The webinar was chaired by Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent and Senior Presenter, BBC World News.
Speakers included Dr Stephen Mariano, Dean, NATO Defense College; Sir James Everard, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe 2017–2020); Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Senior Research Fellow, RUSI; David Lewis, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Exeter; Raffaello Pantucci, Senior Associate Fellow, RUSI; Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South Asia, IISS; Dr Antonio Giustozzi, Associate Fellow, RUSI; Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan. Authors of the NDC publication and experts then gathered during a closed-door session, chaired by Dr Cynthia Salloum, Researcher/Faculty Adviser, NATO Defense College.
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