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Making it up as we go along: state-building, critical theory and military adaptation in Afghanistan

2010; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 10; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14678802.2010.500535

1478-1174

Adam Grissom,

Political Conflict and Governance

Abstract This article examines the military aspects of international state-building efforts in Afghanistan through the lens of critical theory. It outlines the conventional approach to state-building, as it has evolved in recent decades, and briefly describes the emerging 'reflexive critique' of that approach developed by state-building scholars grounded in critical theory. It then applies the reflexive critique to the Afghan state-building project, an exercise that substantiates key aspects of the critique but also reveals a divergence between the broadly conventional approach taken in Kabul and the more adaptive approaches of many practitioners at the province and district levels. It concludes with a discussion of the potential implications of this convergence for theory and practice of state-building in Afghanistan and beyond. Notes 1. The words are spoken by Trinculo, 'The Tempest', Act 2, Scene 2. 2. Gaddis Gaddis, J. 1982. 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