In the contemporary global landscape, having access to international waters constitutes a significant geopolitical asset. Afghanistan’s landlocked status, however, deprives it of this strategic advantage. Thus, making it more vulnerable and dependent to its southern neighbor Pakistan for trade and transit. Afghanistan’s primary goal is to reduce its dependence on Pakistan’s transit routes, expand trade, and generally improve its economic situation. Accordingly, Afghanistan has pursued multiple alternative options to diversify its trade and transit routes with the outside world. This paper examines the extent to which Afghanistan’s trade and transit diversification strategy has been successful and assesses whether, amid regional geopolitical shifts, it has reduced the country’s dependence on its southern neighbor, Pakistan. Using secondary sources, this study applies analytical and descriptive methods. The findings reveal that Afghanistan’s trade and transit diversification strategy has come to fruition amid regional geopolitical shifts, and that the country is no longer solely dependent on its southern neighbor, Pakistan, for trade and transit. While Afghanistan has diversified its trade and transit options, the Chabahar port and the Iranian route appear to be the most viable alternatives.
