SA 653

TITLE : Geopolitics of Afghanistan
Code : SA-653

Teacher: Ambrish Dhaka
Instruction method: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials
Evaluation method: Session Work and Semester Examination
Course duration: One semester
Contact hrs: 3 per week

Course content
This course is designed to understand the geopolitical location of Afghanistan. The
importance of this setting is verified by the fact that every U-turn in Afghanistan’s
national life always had extraneous factors deeply embedded into ethno-political strife
taking aback decade’s progress into one backwash.
The geographical setting of Afghanistan has had important bearing on its autochthonous
life that needs be studied under ethnicity and its internal hierarchy. The Cold War regime
had been reckoning example of Afghanistan’s location in World Order.
Based on above facets of Afghanistan, an understanding of the region’s geopolitical
dynamics can be carved out for the present century with in the most current context.

I- Geographical Setting: Afghanistan, its physiography, climate, natural resources
& landuse; location & political frontiers

II- Afghanistan’s Geopolitical matrix: Concept of Great Game; the Cold War and
the post-Cold War Geopolitics.

III- Regional players- Iran, Pakistan, China and Central Asia.

IV- Global players- Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the US.

V- India- the extended neighbourhood.

VI- Geoeconomic evaluation: Oil geoeconomics; Economic-strategic location of
Afghanistan vis-à-vis South Asia and Central Asia; Reinventing the Silk
Route- the TAGP & TARR routes.