American Nation Building in Afghanistan
Abstract
Nation building efforts in Afghanistan depend on three pillars, securing the country, building the economy and establishing good governance. Each is dependent on the other. Coordinating the international efforts to achieve each pillar's goals is a daunting task. Coalition countries maintain separate and individual agendas that impede coordinated nation building efforts. Corruption is wide spread and threatens national security and the government legitimacy. Little or no oversight of government activities provides minimal opportunity to mitigate corruption. Implementation of internal control measures, at all levels of government with international committee and coalition supervision, is necessary. The narcotics trade contributes to security and corruption issues. Poor economic conditions provide ready recruits for the insurgency and cause the people to question the legitimacy of the government. Afghan National Security Force trainers and mentors are critically short. Filling these shortages must become a priority. Although the country is on the path to democratic reform, greater assurance of success requires more assistance with better coordination of effort and time. If we fail to do this, then the last seven years may foretell decades of additional effort.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 18, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA508296
Entities
People
- Richard L. Phillips
Organizations
- United States Army War College