Chabahar and Gwadar Port : An Analysis of the Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of Competition and Co-Operation in A New Taliban World

This research paper inspects the emerging strategic role of the Chabahar and Gwadar ports in relation to the evolving geopolitical and geo-economic Sino-Indian relationship. Iran and India, as of 2016, have been bilateral partners in operations of Iran’s Chabahar Port. Meanwhile, Pakistan and China, as of 2015, have cooperated in Balochistan’s Gwadar Port under the context of CPEC, as China has officially ‘leased’ the port until 2059. These relations have been perceived as peculiar by many in the foreign policy field, and several scholars have attributed these new and precarious economic relationships as attempts by India and China to outmaneuver each other in the Middle Eastern and Central Asian markets. This piece analyzes the impact of these respective infrastructural projects in four distinct sections: an outline and brief evaluation of the individual histories of the Gwadar and Chabahar ports, an assessment of existing Sino-Pakistani relations, an assessment of existing Indian-Iranian relations, and a description of current internal ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious factors in Pakistan that may jeopardize the intended outcome of involved countries. By examining the current diplomatic ties, tensions, and economic interests between Iran, India, Pakistan, and China, our research concludes that military conflict between India and China that stems from tensions in the Chabahar and Gwadar ports is unlikely. Nevertheless, internal stressors and weak relations, exacerbated by the abrupt fall of Kabul and the subsequent crisis, between temporarily cooperating nations could prime participating countries for regional disputes