Beyond Reconstruction in Afghanistan Lessons from Development Experience

The interaction of failed states, terrorism, and the need for "nation building" is at the top of the international agenda, with particular focus on Afghanistan and Iraq. This pathbreaking collection brings together top analysts to examine the goals and challenges facing efforts to reconstruct states that have collapsed into anarchy or have been defeated in war, drawing lessons from fifty years of past experience with post-conflict reconstruction and development around the world to assess development plans in a country devastated by more than a century of conflict. While the focus is on Afghanistan, important comparisons--including to reconstruction after the American Civil War--provide historical context and lessons of difficulties to overcome and realistic limitations of ambitions. Throughout, particular attention is paid to the interaction of the goals of external and domestic actors, highlighting the importance of understanding the internal social, economic, and political environment of the society receiving assistance.

John D. Montgomery is Professor Emeritus of International Studies, Harvard University.
Dennis A. Rondinelli is Glaxo Distinguished International Professor of Management, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Preface: Reconstruction in Afghanistan * Introduction--John D. Montgomery * Part I: Hopes Beyond Reconstruction * International Goals and Strategies for Afghanistan's Development: Reconstruction and Beyond--Dennis A. Rondinelli * Supporting Postwar Aspirations in an Islamic Society--John D. Montgomery * Between Reconstruction and Restoration: Three Historical Case Studies--John M. Heffron * The Afghan Experience with International Assistance--Yuri V. Bossin * Lessons from Post-Aid Conflict Experience--Robert J. Muscat * Part II: Toward a Stable Civil Society * The Rule of Law as a Goal in Afghanistan--Charles H. Norchi * Economic Growth and Development Policy in Afghanistan: Lessons from Experience in Developing Countries--Dennis A. Rondinelli * Ethnic Diversity and the Structure of Government--Milton J. Esman * Warlordism and Development in Afghanistan--Kamoludin N. Abdullaev * Health, Human Security, and Social Reconstruction in Afghanistan--Paula Gutlove, Gordon Thompson, and Jacob Hale Russell * Part III: Regional Implications of Reconstruction * The Afghan Neighborhood and Future Stability: A Regional Approach to Reconstruction and Development--Eden Naby and R.N. Frye * Reconstruction, Development, and Nation-Building: Prospects for Afghanistan--Dennis A. Rondinelli and John D. Montgomery
Preface: Reconstruction in Afghanistan * Introduction--John D. Montgomery * Part I: Hopes Beyond Reconstruction * International Goals and Strategies for Afghanistan's Development: Reconstruction and Beyond--Dennis A. Rondinelli * Supporting Postwar Aspirations in an Islamic Society--John D. Montgomery * Between Reconstruction and Restoration: Three Historical Case Studies--John M. Heffron * The Afghan Experience with International Assistance--Yuri V. Bossin * Lessons from Post-Aid Conflict Experience--Robert J. Muscat * Part II: Toward a Stable Civil Society * The Rule of Law as a Goal in Afghanistan--Charles H. Norchi * Economic Growth and Development Policy in Afghanistan: Lessons from Experience in Developing Countries--Dennis A. Rondinelli * Ethnic Diversity and the Structure of Government--Milton J. Esman * Warlordism and Development in Afghanistan--Kamoludin N. Abdullaev * Health, Human Security, and Social Reconstruction in Afghanistan--Paula Gutlove, Gordon Thompson, and Jacob Hale Russell * Part III: Regional Implications of Reconstruction * The Afghan Neighborhood and Future Stability: A Regional Approach to Reconstruction and Development--Eden Naby and R.N. Frye * Reconstruction, Development, and Nation-Building: Prospects for Afghanistan--Dennis A. Rondinelli and John D. Montgomery