Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and guests pose for group photos ahead of the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2014.[Xinhua/Wang Ye]

U.S. President Barack Obama has been determined to end the "War on Terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan from the moment he stepped into the White House, and he has tried hard to accomplish the drawdown process ever since. President Obama intentionally downplayed the once exaggerated terrorist threat to American national security interests; he delivered a speech in Cairo in an attempt to repair the United States' long-plagued relationship with Islamic countries; he ordered an additional 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan, a surge to refocus on al Qaeda, reverse the Taliban's momentum, and train Afghan Security Forces. He even tried to address the root cause of terrorism by providing civilian aid and creating economic opportunities for local people in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The original plan of the drawdown of American troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan was implemented in a determined way. On Oct. 26, American and British flags were lowered at two major bases in southwestern Afghanistan, marking the conclusion of the war in Afghanistan.

READ: Promoting security and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region

With the formal end of the NATO coalition's combat mission, a war-torn Afghanistan begins its next chapter. In post-NATO Afghanistan, it is very likely that the way in which the three-fold transition in politics, security, and economics is realized will determine the nation's future.

This year witnessed a torturous process of political transition due to disputed election results and allegations of electoral fraud. On Sep. 19, the two leading candidates for the Afghan presidency signed a power-sharing agreement naming Ashraf Ghani president and allowing Abdullah Abdullah to take on an important executive position in the government. The political transition has been accomplished in a truly peaceful and democratic way with the help of former President Hamid Karzai and other countries. But how the two leaders will cooperate to govern in the future remains to be seen.

Afghanistan's security transition will undoubtedly be tough. American troops invaded Afghanistan to defeat al Qaeda and destroy their terrorist network 13 years ago, however, one might still be reluctant to say that the U.S., together with its NATO allies, has successfully achieved that goal. Bin Laden was killed three years ago, but the Taliban is still very active in many regions in Afghanistan.