Afghanistan Since 2001: US Geostrategic Ambitions, a Failed State, and the Return of the Taliban
Résumé
After twenty years of US support to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the 2021 Taliban takeover of the capital city, Kabul, and official launch of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, to replace it, has led to a number of debates as to what exactly happened over the past twenty years in that country. Why have the powerful American army and NATO coalition failed to eliminate the Taliban? Why have the Afghan army and the Afghan nation not resolutely fought against their return? This chapter analyzes the nation-building efforts of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan over the past twenty years and sheds light on the deep governance flaws that have undermined the central state during that period, and now, under Taliban rule.