Iran’s National Security and Afghanistan Crisis. Unpacking the Impacts of the Taliban’s Takeover of Power on Iranian National Security

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of how the Taliban takeover of power in Afghanistan impacts Iran’s national security. The paper aims to offer an enhanced understanding of the current developments in Afghanistan and argues that the advancement of Taliban forces as well as the Islamic state’s territorial expansion inside Afghanistan poses a genuine threat to the Iranian state’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. In terms of Iran’s human security, enhanced terrorism, drug, and human trafficking within the state will probably impact the physical security of the Iranian citizens as a result of the Afghan crisis. Using a constructivist methodology, the paper also shows the importance of the national identity of Iran for the construction of security policy which is thus imperative not only for a better understanding of Iran’s approach to security but also for creating conducive steps towards reconciliation between Iran and the international community.

Keywords

• national security
• iranian security policy
• afghanistan
• the taliban
• global and regional competitions