Introduction

This chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the relevant literature, connects bureaucratic politics to nation-building, and provides a summary of the history of the Afghan State. It focuses on the bureaucratic dimensions of US nation-building in Afghanistan. On 11 September 2001 an event occurred that impacted significantly on shape and nature of US foreign policy. The destruction of the World Trade Center, damage to the Pentagon, and the deaths of almost 3,000 US citizens, could not go unanswered. The Taliban regime crumbled in the face of American military might, some educated Afghans and many more Americans hoped that a stable and representative government could replace it. Despite some limited progress, a refurbished, 'whole-of-government' approach to Afghanistan's problems fell far short of its objectives. By 2008, a quarter of Afghanistan's population still did not have access to clean water, and 50 per cent of Afghan children were malnourished.