Afghanistan as a Trans-Regional Economic Connector: A Systematic Literature Review of ECO, SAARC and CAREC Cooperation in Central and South Asia

Afghanistan occupies a distinctive geographical position at the intersection of Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia and the wider Eurasian region. Although its landlocked geography has traditionally been regarded as a structural disadvantage associated with high transportation costs, dependence on neighbouring transit countries and restricted access to international markets, its location simultaneously provides significant potential for regional economic connectivity. Afghanistan's participation in multiple regional cooperation frameworks—including the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program—offers an important institutional basis for transforming this geographical position into economic opportunity. However, existing scholarship remains fragmented across separate literatures on South Asian regionalism, Central Asian connectivity, infrastructure development, energy cooperation and Afghanistan's post-conflict reconstruction. This study therefore undertakes an integrative literature review of Afghanistan's role within ECO, SAARC and CAREC, focusing on trade, transport, energy, investment, economic corridors, institutional capacity and geopolitical constraints. The review synthesizes peer-reviewed academic literature and authoritative publications from international and regional institutions and develops a structured literature matrix to identify dominant themes, methodological approaches and research gaps. The findings indicate that the three frameworks provide differentiated but potentially complementary forms of regional cooperation. ECO offers a broad trans-regional institutional platform connecting Central, South and West Asia; SAARC provides Afghanistan with institutional access to South Asian markets but is constrained by political rivalry and weak regional integration; and CAREC provides the strongest project-oriented mechanism for transport infrastructure, trade facilitation, energy connectivity and economic corridors. The review further identifies a persistent implementation gap between regional cooperation commitments and actual economic integration. Security instability, weak institutions, inadequate infrastructure, border and customs constraints, geopolitical competition and limited private-sector participation restrict Afghanistan's ability to convert geographical centrality into sustained economic benefits. Based on the synthesis, the article develops a Trans-Regional Connector Perspective, arguing that Afghanistan's regional economic significance derives not from exclusive membership in one regional institution but from its position at the intersection of multiple cooperation regimes. The review contributes by integrating previously fragmented ECO, SAARC and CAREC scholarship and by conceptualizing institutional overlap as a potential source of economic connectivity rather than merely institutional duplication. The article concludes by identifying future research opportunities concerning post-2021 regional economic diplomacy, corridor-level economic impacts, digital trade facilitation, energy integration, private-sector participation and the relationship between economic interdependence and regional stability.