 |
| Image: Flickr User - U.S. Department of State |
By M. Ashraf Haidari
Could the deal pave the way for greater regional cooperation in Afghanistan’s fight against terrorism?
Since the beginning of the nuclear negotiations between P5+1 and Iran, there has been much debate about the deal’s potential impact on the Greater Middle East, including Afghanistan. The Afghan government supported the multilateral negotiations process, and now welcomes its win-win outcome, as outlined in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the involved parties recently adopted.
The success of the nuclear deal demonstrated the triumph of patient, resolute diplomacy over the application of hard power, which has sometimes proven counterproductive. Thus, the key lesson to be learned from the nuclear deal is that other protracted problems facing the Greater Middle East could be resolved through results-oriented multilateral diplomacy, so long as the stakeholders commit to a strategic, win-win vision backed by the political will to overcome their increasingly shared security problems.
On what can transpire after the nuclear deal, one can think of different scenarios. However, Afghanistan is cautiously optimistic about the full implementation of the JCPOA, under which both sides will have to fulfill their obligations. Doing so will undoubtedly build confidence between Iran and the United States, which one can hope will evolve into a much-awaited rapprochement between the two countries with many converging interests.
Moreover, the nuclear deal has already diminished the concerns of Iran’s neighbors about the further nuclearization of the Middle East. And Afghanistan welcomes the pragmatic efforts of President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as they are certain to capitalize on the nuclear deal to enhance regional security and economic cooperation.
Read the full story at The Diplomat