Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Baluchistan and southern Afghanistan are currently plagued by warfare and criminal activity. In early March 2009 the leaders of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan announced a new drive to seek solutions to mutual national security concerns affecting all three countries.

This paper is born out of a RUSI conference that brought together analysts to propose a trilateral response to the region, beginning with a shelving of existing border disputes.

The focus instead should be on realistic solutions based upon capabilities within three areas; dialogue, deterrence and development. A consensus was made on the need for an understanding of respective national priorities and a 'grassroots' building of trust.

Three regional experts contribute to this paper: Dr Muhammad Nasrullah Mirza examines Pakistan border security, Dr Maqsudal Nuri looks at post-colonial politics and Aziz Hakimi examines the cross-border challenges.