Afghanistan Regional Forum No. 10, September 2013
By Antonio Giustozzi
The civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1996-2003) has become synonymous with the meddling of neighboring countries into the affairs of weak states, in fact replacing Lebanon as a household name for a fragmented country being manipulated by its neighbors. The risk is emerging in this decade that Afghanistan will in turn replace Congo as the epitome of a proxy battle-ground where regional powers fight their rivalries. With President Obama and President Karzai agreeing that NATO would stop most combat operations in spring 2013, the way ahead was open for the majority of NATO troops to withdraw faster than most observers had originally assumed.
