Afghanistan: The ‘failed State’ as Status Quo?

Since the breakdown of the bipolar system, there has been a renewed interest in so-called failed states. Initially, this interest could be attributed to a post–Cold War enthusiasm for addressing outstanding issues hitherto blocked by the stand-off between superpowers. After 9/11, the focus shifted to failed states that could potentially harbour a new type of asymmetric threat that has proliferated in the form of insurgencies and terrorism. Afghanistan is an example of such a failed state. Ten years after 9/11 and the start of the conflict on its territory, the security and political situation in Afghanistan remains unstable and the Islamist insurgency continues to represent the principal threat. The 10th anniversary of 9/11 presents an appropriate moment to review the reasons why Afghanistan is considered to be a failed state, the challenges faced by the international community and the Afghan authorities in the short to medium term and, more importantly, the issues that should be addressed if Afghanistan is to shed its label as a ‘failed state’.