This monograph attempts to analyse Iran's Look East strategy, which became the macro framework of Iran's foreign policy after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 and more effectively under President Ebrahim Raisi. It delves into various geopolitical and economic drivers of Iran's pursuit of long-term partnerships with China and Russia. It seeks to understand how Iran's regional policy is responding to the new geopolitical dynamics in Central Asia and the Caucasus following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Azerbaijan's victory in the second Nagorno-Karabakh war. It also examines the problems and prospects in India-Iran ties, especially in the context of Iran's Look East strategy.
The Islamic Republic struggled to protect its critical infrastructure, whereas Israel emerged largely unscathed in the cyber domain during the 12-Day War.
To confront the long-term Israeli campaign aimed at dismantling its military capabilities, Iran will likely seek to increase the resilience of its forces.
The edited volume comprises 16 chapters contributed by Afghan, Central Asian, Iranian, Russian, Western, and Indian scholars and analysts. The chapters not only dwell on country perspectives but also key issues of concern to the people of Afghanistan and the wider region. It includes terrorism, transnational crime, drug production and distribution, the governance system and the state of education in Afghanistan. The contributions in the volume paint an unflattering view of the ground reality in Afghanistan, and a connecting thread of pessimism runs through various analyses.
Faced with geostrategic setbacks, a militarily assertive Israel and the incoming Trump presidency, Iran has prioritised diplomacy with both regional countries and the West.
