Afghanistan in the context of Russian and Chinese projects

Abstract

In this article, the authors consider issues related to the current situation in Afghanistan
after the withdrawal of American troops. A country that has been in a state of political chaos for
the past forty years, accompanied by a bloody civil war. Today, Afghanistan is characterized as
a «fail state», a hotbed of global drug trafficking, corruption, and Islamic fundamentalism. The
statement of the great Afghan thinker Muhammad Iqbal Lahori that «Afghanistan is the heart of
Asia, and if the heart loses peace, then Asia will lose peace» has become prophetic. The situation in
Afghanistan has shackled the attention of the world community to emerging problems. The chaos
generated in Afghanistan has a significant impact on events in the world, and primarily affects
the countries of Central Asia. Considering the second coming to power of the Taliban as a threat
to the spread of religious extremism and fundamentalism in the region, we practically do not pay
attention to the geopolitical consequences. The withdrawal of Americans from Afghanistan, in
fact, means that the countries of Central Asia have no geopolitical alternative to the dominance
of China and Russia in the region. Does this mean that the «new big game» and the struggle for
dominance over Central Asia has finally ended not in favor of the Anglo-Saxon world? remains
open. One thing is for sure that the current situation means that soon the strategy of the United
States and the EU in relation to Central Asia will be revised.