Why State-Building Failed in Afghanistan. Internal weaknesses and external missteps

International community intervention in Afghanistan led by the US in 2001 ignited hope among Afghan citizens and other countries for a democratic, inclusive, and stable government. These all vanished in 2021 when the US-led army announced its evacuation, ultimately leading to the resurgence of the Taliban. Many scholars argue that the international community failed in Afghanistan and believe it was a shortcoming and failure of the international community. However, this essay argues that the intervention’s shortcomings were not solely the fault of external actors but also stemmed from systemic internal failures of weak governance, corruption, and societal cohesion. Through critical analysis of existing literature and government structure, this letter examines the factors that contributed to the failure of state-building in Afghanistan.

Access work

https://works.eurac.edu/DiGoP-03-2025-Ali-Jan-Rasikh-Why-State-Building-Failed-in-Afghanistan.pdf