Afghanistan is the Archetype of Proxy Wars

Abstract

Following the definition and historical classification of proxy wars, this study emphasizes thecomplexity of the applied methods. It presents Afghanistan’s unique characteristics, whichexplains why the country can be considered the archetype of proxy wars, where the state isalso a proxy, and non-state actors are acting against it, which are also proxies. Situations arepresented, how the battleground of the competing countries in the region turns into theconflict zone of overt or covert confrontations of the great powers. As a conclusion it can bestated that due to the diversity of the country, where there are no reliable statistics and it isimpossible to generate models with a computer algorithm, research requires extensive fieldand language skills, oriental studies, and security policy knowledge.