ABSTRACT
Afghanistan has historically been characterized by weak state power in dynamic tension with a strong society. Its population is composed of various ethnic, tribal, linguistic, cultural and religious groups forming distinct micro-societies, with most of them having extensive cross-border ties with Afghanistan’s neighbours. These social and cultural divisions have traditionally played a critical role in attempts to create national unity and institutionalized processes of state building in the country. Although the turbulence of the past 30 years has profoundly affected Afghanistan, the country’s micro-societies have remained salient in shaping Afghan politics and society. However, since the attacks in the US on 11 September 2001 and Washington’s immediate response to them, three additional factors, partly grounded in these social divisions, have come to undermine quite seriously the process of stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan: the fragmentation and corruption of the governing elite, the flawed strategy of the US and its NATO allies in dealing with Afghanistan’s problems and the strengthening of counter-systemic actors. These are the key issues on which this chapter focuses.
