ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how contentious and complex the discussion of statebuilding has become, and how a Westphalian model of international society constrained what could be attempted in Afghanistan. It identifies specific design flaws in the statebuilding enterprise, and some further problems with the post-2001 constitutional and political systems. The chapter shows how systemic weaknesses facilitated a fatal slide away from institutionalisation in the direction of neopatrimonialism, setting the scene for subsequent troubles, especially the prevalence and corrosive effects of corruption. It traces the effects of an overly-centralised state, and addresses the failure of the state to secure the lives of ordinary people. The success of state building endeavours is conditioned both by local history, culture and life experiences, and the complex set of principles, norms, and standard operating procedures to which any statebuilding project must conform to at least some degree if it is to be internationally accepted.
