Bagram Airbase: America’s Return, China’s Nightmare, Pakistan’s Gamble
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/rl.2025.44124Keywords:
Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, U.S.-China Rivalry, Pakistan’s Foreign Policy, Taliban, CPEC, Geopolitics, Great GameAbstract
The Bagram Airbase, which is the center of the Afghan military operations, has been at the crossroads of international tensions over the last 50 years. An important symbol of the modern global power changes, Bagram was originally constructed by the Soviet Union and became the main point of America in the War on Terror and was currently captured by the Taliban. The base is scarcely the remnant of past wars: it continues to represent the disputed nature of the Afghan geography, with all its possibilities and dangers to the powers that surround it. The article is about the role of history of Bagram and its heritage in still being relevant to the US, China and Pakistan. The article is based on the thesis that the airbase is not merely a military base, but an aspect of the 21st-century Great Game, which is a geopolitical tinderbox. This overview through historical-analysis places Bagram within greater contexts of great power politics, regional security and competing visions of development such as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
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