About CARPS

The Center for Afghanistan and Regional Peace Studies (CARPS) is a Canada-based research and policy center dedicated to advancing peace, regional cooperation, and constructive dialogue in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the wider region.

CARPS was established on the understanding that peace and stability in Afghanistan are closely connected to the broader regional environment. Afghanistan’s security, political development, economic prospects, and long-term stability are influenced by regional dynamics, while developments in Afghanistan also have important implications for peace, security, connectivity, and cooperation across Central Asia and the wider region. For this reason, the Center approaches peace not only as a national challenge, but also as a regional process that requires dialogue, knowledge, cooperation, and sustained engagement across borders.

While Afghanistan remains a central area of CARPS’s work, the Center has a broader regional focus. It seeks to contribute to research and dialogue on peace, security, regional cooperation, political and socioeconomic developments, and other emerging challenges affecting Central Asia and the wider region.

A core objective of CARPS is to provide a platform for regional and international dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration among researchers, academics, policy experts, civil society representatives, emerging scholars, and other stakeholders. By bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences from Afghanistan, Central Asia, the wider region, and the international community, the Center seeks to promote mutual understanding, strengthen professional and intellectual networks, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience, and explore practical approaches to peace and regional cooperation.

CARPS pursues its mission through research, policy papers, analytical publications, conferences, roundtables, expert dialogues, and collaborative initiatives. It seeks to connect research with policy discussions and to provide an independent space for evidence-based and constructive debate on issues affecting Afghanistan and the region.

Based in Canada, CARPS aims to build bridges among scholars, policy communities, institutions, and peacebuilding actors in Afghanistan, Central Asia, the wider region, Canada, and the international community. Its long-term goal is to contribute to a more peaceful and stable Afghanistan, stronger regional cooperation, and a more peaceful, connected, and cooperative regional environment.