ghalib journal

The Role of Regional Cooperation in Strengthening Political and Economic Stability in Afghanistan(2021-205)

Abdulrahman karimi, Mohammad Mohammadi — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: Over the past several decades, Afghanistan has faced political and economic instability and insecurity. Therefore, it requires regional cooperation to achieve political and economic stability. The objective of this study is to address the following question: How can regional cooperation contribute to strengthening political and economic stability in Afghanistan?

Method: This study is applied in terms of purpose and was conducted using a descriptive–analytical method, relying on library-based resources.

Findings: The findings indicate that economic and security cooperation among regional countries, particularly in areas such as trade, investment, and counter-terrorism, can support the strengthening of political and economic stability in Afghanistan.

Conclusion: Overall, regional cooperation plays a crucial role in enhancing political and economic stability in Afghanistan. Strengthening such cooperation can contribute to the creation of a secure and stable environment in Afghanistan and the region, leading to sustainable development and economic growth.

The Role of the Victim in the Proceedings of the International Criminal Court

Habibullah Dosti, Sayed Habibullah Aqeli — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: Victimological studies were the first to foreground the position of victims within international criminal proceedings. With the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the rights and roles of victims in addressing major international crimes were significantly expanded. This study aims to elucidate the legal and normative status of victims in the Court’s adjudicative process and to analyze the significance of the Rome Statute in this regard.

Method: The present research adopts a descriptive–analytical approach and is based on library-based data and documentary analysis.

Findings: The results indicate that victims may play active roles at various stages of the criminal process—from the initiation of prosecution to the issuance of judgment—including proposing prosecutions, cooperating in the collection of evidence, participating through legal representatives, and presenting views and concerns during the proceedings.

Conclusion: By formally recognizing the roles of victims, the Rome Statute has brought about a substantial transformation in international criminal justice and has acknowledged victims as one of the fundamental pillars of the adjudicative process.

Analyzing the Role of Motive in Establishing Special Intent in the Crime of Genocide

Khaja Merajuddin Nayel — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: Genocide, as one of the gravest international crimes, requires the establishment of a specific intent (*dolus specialis*) to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group—an element whose proof in practice entails serious difficulties. One of the fundamental challenges in this regard concerns the status and function of the perpetrators’ declared or inferred motives in the process of inferring specific intent. Focusing on the situation in Gaza after 7 October 2023, this study seeks to analyze the role of motive in establishing specific intent in the crime of genocide.

Method: This research employs a doctrinal method in international criminal law, combined with qualitative content analysis of official reports issued by United Nations–affiliated bodies, including Special Rapporteurs, as well as documents submitted to the International Court of Justice, within the framework of a case study. Owing to their high standards of documentation and relative impartiality, the data used enable a more precise analysis of the mental element of the crime of genocide.

Findings: The findings indicate that motive, as an evidentiary indicator, may be taken into account within the analysis of the mental element, particularly specific intent. Examination of patterns of conduct, official statements by authorities, and the persistence of violent acts against the civilian population in Gaza suggests that motives inferred from such conduct, alongside other evidence, have the capacity to strengthen the inference of genocidal specific intent.

Conclusion: The results demonstrate that a systematic and cautious use of motive as a judicial presumption—while maintaining its conceptual distinction from specific intent—can substantially mitigate existing evidentiary gaps in proving the crime of genocide in international judicial practice and contribute to the further development of judicial analyses in this field.

An Examination of the Foundations, Criteria, and Functions of Hypothetical Jurisprudence in the Hanafi School

Abdul Naser Amini — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: In the face of rapid social, medical, economic, and technological transformations, Islamic jurisprudence requires systematic mechanisms to respond to emerging issues. One of the most significant of these mechanisms within the Hanafi school is hypothetical (presumptive) jurisprudence. By relying on rational hypothesis-making within the framework of Sharīʿa principles, this approach enables the derivation of legal rulings prior to the actual occurrence of issues. Accordingly, the present article aims to examine the usūlī foundations, elucidate the governing criteria, and analyze the functions of Hanafi hypothetical jurisprudence in addressing newly emerging legal questions.

Method: This study adopts a descriptive–analytical method based on library-based sources.

Findings: The findings indicate that hypothetical jurisprudence in the Hanafi school, grounded in analogy (qiyās), juristic preference (istiḥsān), and the objectives of Sharīʿa (maqāṣid al-sharīʿa), is governed by systematic and rational criteria. It not only does not conflict with applied (real-case) jurisprudence but also complements it by contributing to the dynamism of fiqh. This approach strengthens the faculty of ijtihād, enhances juristic preparedness in confronting unprecedented issues (nawāzil), and increases the capacity of Islamic jurisprudence to adapt to temporal transformations.

Conclusion: Hanafi hypothetical jurisprudence, as a bridge between revealed texts and changing realities, occupies a significant position in the dynamism and forward-looking nature of Islamic law. The conscious revitalization of this capacity—through the reconstruction of its theoretical foundations, adherence to Sharīʿa-based criteria, and the expansion of its contemporary applications—can play an effective role in advancing contemporary fiqh and in providing systematic responses to modern challenges.

Regional transformation in West Asia; A new step towards regional integration

Hamid Hakim, Ali Mohammad Khalili, Saeed Gholami — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: The recent resumption of political talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia signals a notable shift in the traditionally tense relations among major Middle Eastern powers and reflects a broader regional trend toward pragmatic cooperation and engagement. This development has coincided with a reexamination of foreign policy orientations among key regional actors. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to examine the evolution of foreign policy approaches in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, and to analyze the emerging dynamics of convergence among rival states in West Asia.

Method: This study adopts a qualitative, descriptive–analytical approach. It analyzes the behavior and performance of regional actors in light of changing foreign policy discourses. The research draws on relevant Persian and English sources and employs conceptual analysis to develop an analytical framework for understanding the processes of discussion and decision-making through which political leaders pursue convergence in foreign policy.

Findings: The findings indicate that convergence among rival states can be understood through both situational and process-oriented dimensions. Convergence emerges as a strategic objective whereby states seek to construct new diplomatic consensus based on shared political goals and functional coordination. The analysis shows that shifts in foreign policy discourse, reassessment of national interests, and recognition of common regional challenges play a central role in facilitating this process.

Conclusion: The study concludes that rival states are more likely to adopt convergent foreign policy positions when they perceive regional instability and lack of collective progress as shared threats, leading them to prioritize de-escalation, redefine strategic interests, and commit to cooperative principles. Such convergence contributes to regional stability and fosters mutually beneficial engagement among major actors in West Asia.

e Battle of Narratives in the Middle East; Examining the role of media in 12-day Iran-Israel War

Mohammad Amin Resalat, Sayid Tahir Erfani — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: In recent 12-day Iran-Israel war, along with military engagement of the belligerents, media played a significant role as well. During the war, various media delivered different and sometimes contradicting narratives and constructed an extensive discursive dispute. These media approaches laid this question ahead of analysists that how media and with the help of what linguistic and discursive instruments represented this conflict and why such a stance was taken by media?

Method: The current research with qualitative approach and on the basis of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of Fairclough and Van Dijk will analyze the representation ways of this conflict in Iranian, Israeli and selected international media outlets. In the light of theoretical framework of research and relying on Fairclough and Van Dijk cognitive models, predominant discourses, Language techniques and media narrative construction in news coverage of this war will be examined in 6 selected news or stories.

Findings/ Result: Findings of the research indicate that every medium with exploiting ideological language, contrastive framing, highlighting and magnifying, dualization of self and others and selective elimination of information, played a significant role in reproducing the narratives aligned with national and regional interests of the ward sides.

Conclusion: In this war, media not only as mere informing instruments played a role but also as active and effective actors operated to legitimize the actions of two sides of the war and to lead world public opinions.

A Comparative Legal Study of Inheritance Laws in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity

Azizullah Hafeez — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objectives: Inheritance rules in the Abrahamic religions, beyond regulating the transfer of property after death, reflect each religion’s family structure, system of financial responsibility, and underlying social values. The objective of this study is to conduct a comparative examination of inheritance laws in Islam (with particular emphasis on Hanafi jurisprudence), Judaism, and Christianity, and to elucidate their fundamental similarities and differences with regard to the allocation of shares, protection of family members, and mechanisms for resolving conflicts among heirs’ shares.

Methodology: This research adopts a library-based and documentary analytical approach. Data were collected from primary sources (the Holy Qur’an, the Torah, and selected Christian texts), as well as authoritative juristic and legal works, and were comparatively examined through a descriptive–analytical framework.

Findings: The findings indicate that in Islam, the determination of fixed and clearly defined shares for heirs, together with the limitation of testamentary disposition to one-third of the estate, establishes an orderly framework for safeguarding heirs’ rights and reducing familial disputes. Within Hanafi jurisprudence, principles such as ʿawl (adjustment in cases of overlapping shares) and radd (the return of surplus shares in the absence of agnatic heirs) play a significant role in completing the computational system of the law of inheritance (farāʾiḍ). In the absence of agnatic heirs, these mechanisms may enhance the shares of Qur’anic heirs, including women. In Judaism, priority given to patrilineal transmission of property and the precedence of sons in the classical model are prominent; nevertheless, mechanisms such as the ketubah and family financial obligations serve protective functions for women and daughters. In Christianity, a binding religious system for the allocation of material inheritance is less evident; the distribution of estates is generally delegated to wills and civil laws, while theological discourse places greater emphasis on the concept of “spiritual inheritance.”

Conclusion: The study concludes that the Islamic inheritance system—particularly within the framework of Hanafi jurisprudence—demonstrates greater structural comprehensiveness and efficiency due to the transparency of shares, the orderly computational structure, and mechanisms designed to limit conflicts. At the same time, in Jewish and Christian traditions, legal developments and civil instruments play a decisive role in aligning inheritance rules with contemporary social needs.

Economic Diplomacy in Contemporary Afghanistan: An Analysis of Opportunities and Challenges

Mohammad Taher Tonzai, Fazal Ahmad Ahmadi, Nematullah Peyman — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Background and Objective: Economic diplomacy, as one of the most effective instruments of foreign policy, plays a fundamental role in linking the national economy to regional and global economic structures. Afghanistan’s location at the crossroads of Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East endows the country with a unique geo-economic position that, if managed strategically, can be transformed into a sustainable competitive advantage. At the same time, this path is accompanied by a range of problems and challenges. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to examine the opportunities and challenges facing Afghanistan’s economic diplomacy. Based on this, the main research question is formulated as follows: What challenges does Afghanistan’s economic diplomacy face in utilizing geo-economic and regional opportunities?

Methodology: This study adopts a descriptive–analytical approach. Data were collected through library-based and documentary sources, as well as content analysis of official studies and reports.

Findings: The findings indicate that Afghanistan, as a “geo-economic bottleneck of the region,” has the capacity to generate opportunities from the competition among regional powers, particularly China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and India. Key projects such as the Qosh-Tepa Canal, Chabahar Port, the TAPI Project, the CASA-1000 Project, the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, and the Belt and Road Initiative possess the potential to generate sustainable revenue, reduce economic dependence, enhance food security, promote employment, and consolidate Afghanistan’s role in the regional economic architecture. Nevertheless, a set of structural challenges—including the lack of international recognition of the government, economic and financial sanctions, reliance on informal trade, regional tensions over water resources, domestic challenges in project implementation, dependence on external actors, and weaknesses in attracting international private investment in the field of economic diplomacy—hinder the realization of these capacities.

Conclusion: If Afghanistan formulates a comprehensive economic diplomacy strategy, undertakes institutional reforms, manages regional projects in a scientific manner, and diversifies economic cooperation, it can enhance its position within the regional economic order and move toward becoming an “active and effective economic actor”.