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(This is an interview from our March 2014 print quarterly, 'Reclaiming Afghanistan?'. See more from the issue here.)

Despite pessimism and doom-mongering in the international community and media, this year's drawdown of international military forces provides a unique opportunity for Afghanistan to reclaim its sovereign status and pursue the goal of achieving long-term economic stability through the mechanism of regional cooperation. If this is to materialise, the role and support of two countries – India and Pakistan – will be critical. While it is true that Afghanistan has been perceived as an arena of 'zero-sum competition' for India and Pakistan, given the tremendous potential dividends of increased trade and transit, the building of energy pipelines and regional connectivity, the uncertainties of post-2014 Afghanistan could, in fact, generate real and tangible opportunities for promoting cooperation between the two neighbours.

The international intervention of the last decade, the planting of thousands of boots on Afghan soil, and the flooding of the country and economy with untraceable money has created parallel structures and done little for the institution – building essential for providing better services and governance to the Afghan people. In addition, uncoordinated military and aid policies, hasty 'exit' announcements and waning international attention have heightened anxieties inside Afghanistan and the wider region as the withdrawal approaches. As a result, stability would appear to be an elusive goal. Afghanistan's internal divisions have long been exploited by external powers, and post-2014, the danger of conflict by proxy throwing the country into yet another Great Game scenario remains very real.