Conclusion: Rethinking Statebuilding in Afghanistan

Concludes a special journal issue on security, governance, & state building in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Contributions focused on the type of state required for sustainable peace in Afghanistan, the possibility of peace sans justice, whether sustainable peace with justice requires democratization, the role of the international community in facilitating democratic political change, the influence of the Afghanistan Compact & Interim-Afghanistan National Development Strategy in state building, & the utility of multi- & bilateral donors in bolstering compliance among key national stakeholders & ensuring that the poor & marginalized, eg, women, have a voice. From the analysis & policy conclusions of the essays, several lessons for state building in Afghanistan & other war-affected countries are outlined. Tensions between the US commitment to military operations & internationally mandated security & peacebuilding operations are touched on, including the doublethink characterizing the Afghanistan peacebuilding debate. D. Edelman