Title : 'Good' State vs. 'Bad' Warlords? A Critique of State-Building Strategies in Afghanistan
Working Paper No : 51 (series 1)
Author(s) : Antonio Giustozzi
Date : October 2004
Abstract: The current Afghan
government, having weak social roots has been forced to rely on
the support of ‘warlords’ to stay in power. But a high price had
to be paid. Despite the predominant stress in much current
analysis on the issue of regional warlordism, the limited reform
achievements in the Kabul ministries and the enduring domination
by the militias of some key ministries are potentially much more
threatening to the reform and re-establishment of the Afghan
state. Widespread corruption is preventing some key ministries
from achieving the minimal effectiveness required. Even within
Kabul, the focus of the international community has been
misplaced. In particular, the pressure of donors on the Ministry
of the Interior has been nowhere near as strong as that exerted
over the Ministry of Finance. The international community also
failed to support adequately the attempts by ‘civil society’ to
change the corrupt practices of the state administration.