Afghanistan suffered from a bloody civil war in the 1990s.While different Afghan factions fought for the control of the country, analysts say nearby countries like Pakistan, India and Iran thought it was in their national interest to support one particular group or another.Andrew Wilder, of the U.S. Institute of Peace, thinks the so-called "zero option" of pulling all U.S. troops out at the end of next year may take Afghanistan back to that situation."I think the idea that we are going to pull out the troops would exacerbate the concerns within the regional actors that Afghanistan could again fall apart and return to civil war,which if anything, further going to provide incentive to the regional actors to back their proxies in Afghanistan," said Wilder.Wilder says another concern is that while the U.S. does not have a military presence in neighboring Pakistan, instability in one country impacts the other.In recent years, Pakistan has been badly hit by several terrorist groups. Wilder says leaving no troops in Afghanistan would further embolden militant groups in Pakistan."The biggest concern would be for the Pakistani Taliban, the TTP.They could then get inspirational and say look what happened in Afghanistan - they defeated this invading power.And that could be mobilizing for TTP and other militant groups in Pakistan," he said.Experts like Lisa Curtis believe the regional countries are closely watching the situation, and that U.S. troops offer the possibility of stability.
