‍Central Asia and The Caucasus Journal

Abstract The purpose of this article is to analyze the impacts of the implementation of the (CPEC) on Iran's geo-economic position. CPEC, one of the major regional infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, includes an extensive network in three main areas of infrastructure, energy, and economic development. Geographically, CPEC is not just a bilateral project that will strengthen relations between China and Pakistan, promote economic development in Pakistan, and enhance China's regional influence in South Asia, but it also has significant regional dimensions and impacts. In terms of subject matter, this project is not necessarily economic and has political, social, and even security dimensions. In this text, CPEC will have impacts on Iran's regional geo-economic position, which will be particularly noticeable in the two areas of energy (gas exports) and infrastructure (transit). This article uses an explanatory method and within the conceptual framework of the new geo-economics attempts to investigate these effects. The findings of the article show that although the impact of CPEC on Iran's geo-economic position is a combination of opportunities and challenges, and from the perspective of opportunity, Iran can adopt a smart policy, including linking its geo-economy with CPEC in the form of its macro-cooperation with China, to use this project as an opportunity for development and strengthening its regional position. However, it seems that its challenging dimension, including by reducing Pakistan's demand for gas imports from Iran and upgrading the transit position of this country, including theGwadar port againstChabahar, will weaken Iran's geo-economic position.

Abstract Introducing of the Belt - Road Initiative, China is being considered as a prior actor pursuing regional ties and a connectivities between Asia and Europe. However, China's presence in this area seems not to be the only one and there is a high competition for building infrastructures across Eurasia. India is one of the Asian giant who is slowly entering the huge infrastructure projects in this continent and seeks the revival of International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC). The author argues that the New Spice Route is a metaphor that narrates the revival of rivalry between India and China to dominate the routes of transporting goods and energy. The present literature is to explore the main goals and motivations of India for revitalizing International North-South Transportation Corridor in the direction of New Spice Route that was established around fifteen years ago. Using descriptive-analytical method and library and documentary resources, under the framework of the theory of structural realism, the author tries to show that India's attempt to reconstruct INSTC and to promote the New Spice Route primarily focuses on security objectives and incentives, including a change of status quo in Jammu and Kashmir; stripping China's geopolitical and geostrategic opportunities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR); establishing a gap between Pakistan and its neighbors, in particular with Afghanistan; and making geopolitical ties with its new partners in Central Asia and South Caucasus via Iran.