Description
Book SynopsisThis book explains why and how the U.S. and NATO military gains have not produced the expected political victory, and calls for rethinking U.S. policy toward promoting Afghanistan as a regional economic hub in Southwest and Central Asia as it fits within the broader national security interest of the regional states.
Trade ReviewDr. Nojumi has produced an expansive vision of economic success for Afghanistan embedded in regional cooperation along with the political and policy changes necessary to achieve the vision. -- Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann, (ret.) president, American Academy of Diplomacy
Nojumi provides a remarkable account of U.S. state-building efforts in Afghanistan. Building on longstanding observations of U.S. politics Nojumi’s book is based on key insights in the U.S.–Afghanistan strategies of the last decades. Against this background the book reveals persuasively the shortcomings of an incoherent U.S. policy towards Afghanistan. What is more, in his book Nojumi describes with foresight a picture of Afghanistan’s future. Moving away from the common viewpoint of US-centered politics he presents the reader with the increasingly important role of China for Afghanistan. He goes beyond the daily news, and opens the reader’s eyes to the greater geopolitical picture of the coming years. Considering the rising role of China in Eurasia, Nojumi predicts pivotal shifts in geopolitics. Nojumi argues convincingly that Afghanistan is becoming the birthplace of a new regional order at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Based on deep historical and political insights, the book pays particularly attention to the economic potentials of Afghanistan, including its mineral resources and its role as a geo-strategic turnstile. The book is a must read for everyone who wants to understand the future of Afghanistan in a region, which is undergoing dramatic changes. -- Conrad Schetter, professor for Peace and Conflict Research at the University of Bonn
Few people are as well placed as Neamat Nojumi to assess the recent political development of Afghanistan, and how trajectories established under the US-led state-building efforts may lead after the withdrawal of international forces. Nojumi’s analysis presents a much needed corrective to the literature on state-building in Afghanistan by forcing us to return to the basics – of understanding the capacity of the Afghan state, of objectively viewing the weaknesses of the Afghan economy, and of resurrecting a much-needed appreciation of the critical geopolitical location Afghanistan occupies in regional affairs. With keen insights into Afghan culture, society, and politics and with the experience of being a scholar-practioner, Nojumi’s work should be required reading for those interested in the process of state-building in Afghanistan, and the lessons that should be learned and remembered for any possible future interventions. -- Gareth Stansfield, Al-Qasimi Chair of Arab Gulf Studies, professor of Middle East Politics, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
Table of ContentsPreface Foreword by Professor Thomas Barfield Introduction Part One: The Ability of Afghanistan to Deliver Acceptable Governance to its People Chapter One: The Role of the U.S. Military Intervention in the State-Building Process Part Two: Overcoming Structural Shortfalls of State-Building Chapter Two: The Assumptions of the Interventionists in State-Building Chapter Three: Political Strategic Pitfalls and Opportunities in the Decade of Transition Chapter Four: Achieving the “Soft Landing” into Transition – Immediate to Short-Term Chapter Five: Achieving Economic Stability – Mid- to Long-Term Part Three: Afghanistan’s Changing Geopolitical Role in the Region Chapter Six: The Reconfiguration of Afghanistan’s Geo-Political Role Chapter Seven: The Birthplace of a New Regional Order – Key Regional Economic Actors Part Four: Key Steps toward Afghanistan’s Future Stability Chapter Eight: Overcoming Insurgency and Corruption – The Decade of Transformation
