American State-Building in Afghanistan and Its Regional Consequences

Since 2001, Afghanistan has been the focus of world attention as it was considered a viable safe haven for terrorist threats with regional and international implications. Yet even after the withdrawal of international troops and the successful transition of a democratically elected leader in 2014, the question of Afghanistan's future remains the topic of substantial debate. This debate has focused almost exclusively on short-term security issues, mainly counterterrorism, neglecting the three basic factors that will ultimately determine whether or not Afghanistan becomes a safe haven for global terrorism once again: 1) the effectiveness of the Afghan state in delivering acceptable governance to its people; 2) the capacity of the Afghan economy to raise the standard of living for its people; and 3) Afghanistan's changing geopolitical role in the region. This text addresses these issues by critically examining what has happened within Afghanistan over the past dozen years and then offering an analysis of the international and domestic changes that could be implemented over the next decade to bring more stability to that country.