A comparative analysis of Afghanistan policies of Russia and Atlanticist actors

The Eurasian policies that Russia formed in the historical process with the influence of the international system created a constant competition with the Atlanticist world in the Eurasian spheres of influence. The fact that Eurasian thought is based on a contrasting basis with Atlanticism and the struggle for dominance that the great powers are engaged in in Eurasia has led to the transformation of this geography into a competitive center. The Afghanistan policy determined by Russia and Atlanticist actors from the past to the present has also been one of the main dynamics of the Russia-Atlantic rivalry in the Eurasian region. The struggle for dominance in Afghanistan, which started in the 19th century, has progressed on the basis of the Russia-Atlantic rivalry since its beginning, and this struggle has reflected the balance of power in Eurasia. The subject of this study has been determined as the Rusya-Atlantic rivalry, which is shaped by the Afghanistan policy formed by Russia and Atlanticist actors in the historical process, together with the determination of the foundations of Russian Eurasianism and Atlanticism. In this context, the study examines the Afghanistan policies determined by Russia from the Tsarist period to the Federation period, as well as the Afghanistan policies formed by the Atlantic Bloc in parallel and in response to this in the historical process. In addition, the impact and consequences of the Russia-Atlantic rivalry formed as a result of these policies, especially on Afghanistan, were discussed. Both the policies and strategies of the Eurasian and Atlantic sides, as well as the Eurasianism and Atlanticism currents that form the basis for these policies, have been discussed in the light of the comparative analysis method throughout the study. The result of the study is that the Russia-Atlantic rivalry over Afghanistan caused both national and regional instability and could not provide the expected benefit to the parties. KEYWORDS: Afghanistan, Atlanticism, Eurasianism, Russia, USA.