Furqan Khan is a researcher in International Relations, with a special focus on South Asian geopolitics. He is currently an Assistant Research Associate at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and a research assistant at the Oxford Global Society. 

Before joining IPRI as a researcher, Khan was a member of the U.S.-based Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers (CIPR), where he assisted senior researchers on a diverse range of topic pertaining the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region, particularly South Asia. He was the China Focus Intern at The Carter Center in the United States, where his research focused on Pakistan’s role in enabling the U.S.-China cooperation in the post-withdrawal Afghanistan.

Khan has published several research papers and contributed to many reputable publications, including The Diplomat, the LSE Blog, South Asian Voices, and the U.S.-China Perception Monitor. 

Khan holds a bachelor’s honours degree in International Relations from the National Defence University, Islamabad. He received the Best Undergraduate Paper Award in an international conference organised by the London School of Economics and Middle East Center, the American University of Sharjah, UAE. 

Selected publications

‘China or the U.S.: Pakistan’s Choice,’ The Diplomat, (July 11, 2023). https://thediplomat.com/2023/07/china-or-the-us-pakistans-choice/

‘US-China-Pakistan: Aid and Interests in Afghanistan,’ US-China Perception Monitor, (February 23, 2022). https://uscnpm.org/2022/02/23/us-china-pakistan-aid-interests-afghanistan/

“The Afghan Conundrum: Taliban’s Takeover and the Way Forward,’ Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, (August 31, 2021). https://media.defense.gov/2021/Aug/31/2002843640/-1/-1/1/KHAN%20-%20AFGHANISTAN.PDF

“Prospects for China’s BRI and Strategic Influence in Post-COVID-19 Central Asia,’ Przegląd Strategiczny, Issue 14, 2021, pp. 323-339, (December 2021). Doi: https://doi.org/10.14746/ps.2021.1.19

‘Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and China’s Geopolitical Checkmate in the Indo-Pacific Region,’ The Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 4 (3), pp. 349-361, (June 8, 2021). https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jun/03/2002733841/-1/1/0/KHAN2.PDF/KHAN2.PDF