With the Cold War ended, the weight of NGOs in post-war reconstruction and peace-building projects has increased considerably, and partner-like relations were developed with states and international bodies. But in Afghanistan, the local political elites' initially positive attitude towards the NGOs has been on the wane. This reflects factors which include: (1) NGOs' loss of neutrality status, partly a result of their cooperation with Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) and the armed forces of the coalition; (2) criticism of the Kabul government by NGOs; and (3) the Afghan government's misgivings about the instruments and resources at the disposal of NGOs (not available to Afghan state structures) and about the capacity to control and influence NGO operations. The government fears it can be actually weakened by NGO activity, which would play into the hands of opposition groupings.