The debate over the Bagram Airbase has once again placed Afghanistan at the centre of global strategic calculations. U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed demand to regain control of the base, which the country abandoned during its hurried withdrawal in 2021, has triggered widespread concern and opposition across the region. What might appear at first glance as an isolated assertion of American military ambition is, in fact, deeply tied to Washington’s broader strategy of containing China and reasserting U.S. influence in a region where its presence has sharply declined.

Yet, for most regional powers ~ India, China, Russia, Iran, and even Pakistan ~ Trump’s move is seen as a destabilizing proposition that risks reopening old wounds and creating new strategic uncertainties. When the U.S. s

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