Securitization, divergent agendas and the sectoral allocation of development aid within Afghanistan

[Extract] Afghanistan’s struggle to build a functioning state has historically been tied to its complex domestic dynamics and its state’s relations to foreign powers and their financial and military influences. The modern state of Afghanistan is generally considered to have first emerged in the 1880s when its rulers reaffirmed the 1879 Treaty of Gandomak with British India, defining the country’s existing borders (Taye, 2021). Arguably the most dominant feature of its history has been conflict, particularly during the last 100 years. With the election of President Ghani
in September 2014 and the enormous military and civilian support his government received
from Western countries, there was hope that widespread conflict would be eliminated, with
a more stable and credible democratic state being built. Yet these hopes were crushed with the rapid demise of the Ghani government and the return to central power of the Taliban in the second half of 2021.

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© David Carment and Yiagadeesen Samy 2023
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