President
Ahmadinejad, right, shakes hands with his Pakistani counterpart Asif
Ali Zardari, at the start of their meeting in Tehran, 7-16-2011. Is
Pakistan finally beginning to see the light, or is this another example
of realpolitik opportunism as its national interest seemingly converges
with the Islamic Republic’s desire to have prosperous and secure
relations with its neighbors?
Afghan
Defense Minister Abdulrahim Wardak, left, and his Iranian counterpart
Brigadier General Ahmed Vahidi meet in Kabul, 6-20-2011, to discuss
bilateral security cooperation with a view to establishing peace in the
larger region and limiting US attempts to establish permanent military
bases in Afghanistan.
With America’s departure
from Afghanistan now almost certain, new alignments are beginning to
emerge among regional players aimed at securing the most favorable
outcome for each country. Islamic Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are in
the forefront of this effort but Russia, China and the Central Asian
republics are not far behind either. What is common between all of them
is the strong desire to prevent permanent US military presence in the
region, especially in Afghanistan
With America’s
departure from Afghanistan now almost certain, new alignments are
b… >>>
