Will NATO Stay On in Afghanistan?

A new actor was inducted in the decades-old Afghan conflict when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) assumed command of the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in August 2003. NATO’s entry into the Afghan theatre took place in the backdrop of the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. With the United States diverting its resources and greater attention to Iraq, NATO was to expand its operations throughout Afghanistan in support of the US-led coalition force in a phased manner. For the first three years, the NATO-led ISAF had a largely passive role confined to the relatively peaceful Kabul region and subsequently to the northern and western parts of the country.