Among the proceedings of the international conference on Afghanistan under the Taliban: Reactions of Neighboring Countries and Great Powers is an article by Rustam Makhmudov, leading research fellow at IAIS, written in co-authorship with Madina Abdullaeva, senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science, UWED, and Mushtariy Usmonova, research fellow at IAIS. The study analyses Afghanistan’s abundant natural resources and their significance in the emerging geopolitical context. The authors take a detailed look at strategically important deposits of copper, lithium and rare earth metals, whose combined value is estimated to be between $1 trillion and $3 trillion.

 

The article focuses on the growing interest of world powers, including China, India and Russia, in these resources and their role in competing for their exploitation. The authors focus on the challenges and opportunities facing Afghanistan, including lack of international recognition, sanctions and internal political barriers. It is noted that proper resource management and investment linkages can be key to the country’s economic recovery, opening up new opportunities for its integration into global economic processes.

 

Read and download the article (in Russian)

 

* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.