Multi-ethnic power blocs and the failure of state-building in Afghanistan 2001-2021
Keywords:
Afghanistan, state building, power blocs, institutions, ethnic groups, corruptionAbstract
Initial efforts at state-building in Afghanistan began during the reign of King Amanullah (1919-1929) and continued until the republican era (2001-2021). However, Afghanistan did not have the solid and deep-rooted institutions that are necessary for consolidating state-building and organizing the nation-state. The events of September 11, 2001, and the fall of the first Taliban government, provided a new opportunity to complete the state-building process, which also failed, and the Taliban once again dominated Afghanistan. The main question of this research is focused on identifying the cause of the failure of state-building in Afghanistan during the years of the establishment of the republican system from 2001 to 2021. In response to this hypothesis, it is proposed that multi-ethnic power blocs in Afghanistan, by focusing on the division of power and positions among their followers and affiliates and ignoring the requirements of state-building and its specific tasks, caused the failure and collapse of state-building in 2021. The method of this research is causal-explanatory, and the required data and information were collected through documentary and library methods.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mahmood Eztarabi (Author); Vahid Sinaee (Corresponding author); Ahmad Mahaghar (Author)
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