In the past, American troops and European allies were the key forces fighting against insurgency in the country. Now that the United States and its allies are pulling all troops out of Afghanistan, it is the Afghan security force's responsibility to deal with any possible insurgency. Before 2016, the Afghan security force can still seek help from the 9,800 American soldiers and 3,000 soldiers from other nations that are expected to remain in Afghanistan, but most of these troops will leave Afghanistan, too. As President Obama indicated in his first West Point graduation address in late 2009, "We will not police its streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely. That is the responsibility of the Afghan government, which must step up its ability to protect its people." Are the Afghan security forces ready for and capable of this job? The answer will be decided by three issues: the training services provided by the United States and its allies, capacity building by Afghan government, and reconciliation with the Taliban.

The economic transition is even tougher. Regions with poor governance and high levels of poverty are hotbeds of terrorism. Afghanistan was stuck in a civil war that has deprived the country of any opportunity for prosperity since the 1970s, and the past decade's War on Terror only made the situation in Afghanistan worse. Afghanistan enjoys a geopolitically important position in the region, and is an area rich in natural resources that has nonetheless remained underdeveloped. Afghanistan has great potential for the development of agriculture, industry, service industry and key infrastructure. Unfortunately, it has heavily relied on international assistance and foreign investment over the past several decades. If real political and security transitions are to be achieved, now is the time to rejuvenate this country economically.

The international community has been very helpful in facilitating the transitional process. The United States will continue to provide training services for hundreds of thousands of Afghan soldiers and police officers, and President Obama promised in his West Point speech to establish a new counterterrorism partnership fund of up to $5 billion which will allow the U.S. to train, build up and assist partner countries' armed forces on the front lines of counterterrorism. Obviously, Afghanistan will be a major beneficiary of this fund. European countries will likely do their part to promote the stability and prosperity of this country.

The Istanbul Process on Afghanistan is the leading regional platform for the discussion of regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighboring countries. Ever since the platform was launched in November 2011, four rounds of senior officials meetings have been held, including the latest one which just ended in Beijing. Much progress has been made in promoting Afghanistan's political, security, and economic transitions. China has firmly supported and actively participated in the Afghan peace and reconstruction process, including forgiving Afghanistan's matured debts, providing 1.52 billion RMB in grant assistance, building key infrastructures and training Afghan professionals. China is going to expand this support and assistance for the country in the coming years as well, including an offer of 2 billion RMB in grant assistance and more training services.

From the lessons learned from the past several decades, we can see that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of Central Asia in general, and in the interest of Afghan society and the Afghan people in particular. The above mentioned three-fold transition is easier to said than done, and the efforts of the Afghan government, society, and people alone are far from enough. Many countries have contributed a great deal to this process, and more contributions are expected. International cooperation to promote stability and prosperity in Afghanistan is a necessity rather than a choice.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/fanjishe.htm

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