US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Reflection of Rebalancing Strategy

Soleimani Pourlak, Fatemeh

doi:10.29252/piaj.2022.224020.1139

US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Reflection of Rebalancing Strategy

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Author

Fatemeh Soleimani pourlak

Department of Political Science, Chalous, Islamic Azad University, Chalous, Iran

10.29252/piaj.2022.224020.1139

Abstract

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is an important component of Washington's return to ”rebalancing” which implies the mobilization of resources in new sensitive areas. The redistribution of power in the international system has led the US to redefine the source of threat (from terrorism to the hegemony) and the focus of threat (mainly from West to East Asia). China's rise over the past three decades has become a major challenge to US hegemony in the Asia-Pacific. Russia is also a challenge to US hegemony due to its strategic expansionism in Europe and Iran due to its regional and nuclear activism in the Middle East. The main question is what goals did motivate the US to withdraw from Afghanistan? The hypothesis is that the main reason and goal of the US to withdraw from Afghanistan is the continuation of its hegemonic position against increasing Chinese influence as the highest priority, then Russia and Iran. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in the context of rebalancing. The research method is descriptive-analytical and explains the reflection of the US rebalancing on withdrawal from Afghanistan in the framework of structuralism approach and the theory of aggressive neorealism.

Keywords

References

آیکنبری، جان (1382) تنها ابرقدرت، تهران: مؤسسه فرهنگی مطالعات و تحقیقات ابرار معاصر
Allison, Graham & Dimitri K. Simes (Jan/Feb 2017), “A Blueprint for Donald Trump to Fix Relations with Russia”, in: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/blueprint-donald-trump-fix-relations-russia-18776?page=show
Campbell, Kurt, Brian Andrews (2013) “Explaining the US ‘Pivot’ to Asia”, in: https://kritisches-netzwerk.de/sites/default/files/explaining_the_us_pivot_to_asia_-_kurt_campbell_and_brian_andrews_-_the_asia_group_-_august_2013_-_9_pages_0.pdf
Bernstein, Richard, and Ross Munro (1997), “The Coming Conflict with America”, Foreign Affairs 76, no. 2 (March–April), in: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/1997-03-01/coming-conflict-america
Christensen, Thomas J. (2001), “Posing Problems without Catching Up: China’s Rise and Challenges for U.S. Security Policy”, International Security, Vol. 25, No. 4, in: https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/christensenvol25no4.pdf
Dobbins, J., Campbell, J., Mann, s., & Miller, L. (2019), “Consequences of Precipitious U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan”, in: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE300/PE326/RAND_PE326.pdf
Dolven, Ben, Bruce Vaughn (2020), “Indo-Pacific Strategies of U.S. Allies and Partners: Issues for Congress”, in: https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20200130_R46217_770a61c4856a9a5aed99d6699f3423b6240ff1c3.pdf
Donilon, T. (2012), “America is Back in the Pacific and will Uphold the Rules”, in: https://www.ft.com/content/4f3febac-1761-11e1-b00e-00144feabdc0
Edel, Charles (2017) “The Pacific Power”, in: https://www.the-american-interest.com/2017/04/07/the-pacific-power/
Ghosh, Bobby (July 12, 2021), “No Joy for Iran over the Taliban Romp Next Door”, in: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-07-11/iran-knows-the-triumphant-taliban-in-afghanistan-will-not-be-good-neighbors
Hughes, Lindsay (2021) “The Challenges to China’s National Rejuvenation, Part Four: The US Withdrawal from Afghanistan”, in: https://www.futuredirections.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Challenges-to-Chinas-National-Rejuvenation-Part-Four-The-US-Withdrawal-from-Afghanistan.pdf
Interim National Security Strategic Guidance (2021/03/03), in: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/03/interim-national-security-strategic-guidance/
Jones, Seth G. (July 21, 2021), “A Taliban Victory Is Not Inevitable, How to Prevent Catastrophe in a Post-American Afghanistan”, Foreign Affairs, in: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2021-07-21/afghanistan-taliban-victory-not-inevitable
Kagan, Robert (2005), “The Illusion of 'Managing' China”, in: https://carnegieendowment.org/2005/05/15/illusion-of-managing-china-pub-16939
Kine, Phelim (2021), “China’s fears increase as U.S. troops leave Afghanistan”, in: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-china-watcher/2021/08/05/
Kynge, James, Nastassia Astrasheuskaya, Sun Yu (2021), “China and Russia poised to step into the Afghanistan Gap”, in: https://www.ft.com/content/7ceb9e3b-bd6e-43fe-bb86-80353249e6ac
Lim, Kevjn (September 15, 2021), “Afghanistan Is a Bigger Headache for Tehran than It Is Letting On”, Foreign Policy, in: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/09/15/afghanistan-iran-taliban/
Lukin, A., Korotich (2017), “The Asia-Pacific Alliances of the United States: Between Balancing, Neutralization and Hedging”, in: https://www.imemo.ru/en/publications/periodical/meimo/archive/2017/4-t-61/
Mearasheimer, John J. (2006), “China's Unpeaceful Rise”, Current History, 105 (690), in: https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.2006.105.690.16
-------------------------- (2001), The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, London: W.W.Norton & Company
-------------------------- (2017), “Donald Trump Should Embrace a Realist Foreign Policy”, in: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/donald-trump-should-embrace-realist-foreign-policy-18502
-------------------------- (2019), “Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order”, International Security, Vol. 43, No. 4, in: https://doi.org/10.1162/ISEC_a_00342
Mearsheimer, John J., Stephen M. Walt (2016) “The Case for Offshore Balancing: A Superior U.S. Grand Strategy”, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2016, in: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2016-06-13
Rajagopalan, Rajeswari Pillai (2021), “Does AUKUS Augment or Diminish the Quad?”, in: https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/does-aukus-augment-or-diminish-the-quad/
Sharan, Timor, Andrew Watkins (2021a) “All Quiet on the Eastern Front? Iran's Evolving Relationship with an Afghanistan in Transition”, in: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kabul/17342.pdf
Sharan, Timor, Andrew Watkins (2021b), “From Uncertainty to Strategy? Implications of the U.S. withdrawal for Afghanistan’s neighbors and key partners”, in: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kabul/17927.pdf
Siddiqui, Sabena (2021), “Saudi Arabia seeks low key influence in Afghanistan”, in: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/09/saudi-arabia-seeks-low-key-influence-afghanistan
Speers, David (2021), “The first meeting of the Quad could test Australia's relationship with China”, in: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-11/the-quad-leaders-meeting-china-trade-test-relationship/13234080
Takeyh, Ray (August 30, 2021), “Where Iran Stands on the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan, Council on Foreign Relations”, in: https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/where-iran-stands-taliban-takeover-afghanistan
The Straits Times (August 17, 2021), “Biden says Afghan quagmire would have helped Russia, China”, in: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/biden-says-afghan-quagmire-would-have-helped-russia-china
Walt, S. M. (2001), “Beyond Bin Laden: Reshaping U.S. Foreign Policy, International Security”, Vol. 26, No. 3, Winter, in: https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/walt_winter_01_02.pdf
Waltz, Kenneth (2000), “Structural Realism after the Cold War”, International Security, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Summer), in: https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/waltz_kenneth_v25n1.pdf

Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 68
March 2022
Pages 233-258

Article View: 25,334
PDF Download: 4,636

US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Reflection of Rebalancing Strategy

References

Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 68
March 2022
Pages 233-258

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics

US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Reflection of Rebalancing Strategy

References

Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 68March 2022Pages 233-258

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics

Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 68
March 2022
Pages 233-258