The success of foreign interventions crucially depends on cohesion within communities as they are relevant partners in counterinsurgency and reconstruction. I exploit a geographic regression discontinuity for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and find that the presence of foreign forces negatively affects community cohesion. Households receive less help from others in their community and are less likely to participate in or rely on community councils. This finding has important implications for foreign policy, in particular in an environment where the community compensates for a lack of formal institutions.
JEL Classification: O53
Keywords: Afghanistan, Conflict, foreign military interventions, informal institutions, security missions, social cohesion