• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Marina Ottaway",
    "Anatol Lieven"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia",
    "Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Afghanistan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Economy"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Other

Rebuilding Afghanistan: Fantasy versus Reality

Link Copied
By Marina Ottaway and Anatol Lieven
Published on Jan 3, 2002
Program mobile hero image

Program

Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

Learn More
Program mobile hero image

Program

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

Learn More

Source: Carnegie

An unrealistic Western reconstruction program for Afghanistan is emerging even as the war continues. The international community is calling for the creation of a democratic, secular state, but it is also clearly not willing to provide a large military force to help build it. Given the extreme fragmentation and militarization of Afghan society, democratic reconstruction cannot possibly work. Instead, we need to devise a more modest and realistic program, aimed at creating peace and restoring basic economic functions rather than rebuilding the entire state. Furthermore, to minimize competition for control of the central government, and to give warlords a vested interest in maintaining peace, most international aid should be channeled directly to Afghan regions.

Click on the link above for full text of this Policy Brief.

A limited number of print copies are also available.
 

About the Authors
Marina Ottaway
is a senior associate and codirector of the Democracy and Rule of Law Project. She is currently working on a comparative study of semiauthoritarian regimes in Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Her most recent books are Funding Virtue: Civil Society Aid and Democracy Promotion (Carnegie Endowment, 2000) and Africa's New Leaders: Democracy or State Reconstruction? (Carnegie Endowment, 1999).

Anatol Lieven is a senior associate for foreign and security policy in the Russian and Eurasian Program. He was previously editor of Strategic Comments at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Among his publications are Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power, The Baltic Revolution: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Path to Independence, and Ukraine and Russia: A Fraternal Rivalry, which are largely based on his work as a correspondent for the Times of London in the former Soviet Union from 1990 to 1996. Before that, he was a correspondent for the Times in Pakistan, and covered the Afghan war from the side of the anti-Soviet Mujahedin. Previous policy briefs include Fighting Terrorism: Lessons from the Cold War and Soldiers Before Missiles: Meeting the Challenge from the World's Streets.

 

About the Authors

Marina Ottaway

Former Senior Associate, Middle East Program

Before joining the Endowment, Ottaway carried out research in Africa and in the Middle East for many years and taught at the University of Addis Ababa, the University of Zambia, the American University in Cairo, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Anatol Lieven

Former Senior Associate

Authors

Marina Ottaway
Former Senior Associate, Middle East Program
Marina Ottaway
Anatol Lieven
Former Senior Associate
Anatol Lieven
Political ReformDemocracyEconomyAfghanistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Sada
    Digital Dissent in Morocco: A Sociological Analysis of the Generation Z Movement

    From anime heroes to online gaming communities, Morocco’s Gen Z is building a new protest culture. What does this digital imagination reveal about youth politics, and how should institutions respond?

      Abdelilah Farah

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    After Ilia II: What Will a New Patriarch Mean for Georgia?

    The front-runner to succeed Ilia II, Metropolitan Shio, is prone to harsh anti-Western rhetoric and frequent criticism of “liberal ideologies” that he claims threaten the Georgian state. This raises fears that under his leadership the Georgian Orthodox Church will lose its unifying role and become an instrument of ultraconservative ideology.

      Bashir Kitachaev

  • A white humanoid robot with a black head and hips stands behind a rope barrier. It stands with its feet apart, knees bent, and elbows raised at its sides.
    Commentary
    Europe Is Falling Behind in General-Purpose Robotics. Here’s What It Can Do to Catch Up.

    The continent needs to improve conditions for production of complete AI robotic systems and preserve its edge in hardware.

      Pavlo Zvenyhorodskyi

  • Worker pushing machinery toward a car frame
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Europe’s New Industrial Policy Can Learn From U.S. Mistakes

    Although the IAA often differs from the IRA, European policymakers can still take note of the U.S. act’s shortcomings.

      Milo McBride

  • Gen Z United activists hold a demonstration in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 8 and 9, 2025, under the banner ''Don't Forget the Blood of Martyrs,'' honoring protest martyrs and demanding justice and accountability for those killed during past movements.
    Article
    Gen Z Protests Across Asia Offer a Delicate but Renewed Democratic Order

    A disconnect between Gen Z citizenry and older rulers has fueled massive demonstrations. What are the key issues and how is protest energy translating into electoral change?

      • Usama Khilji

      Usama Khilji

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.