Michael Hughes: Former U.S. diplomat Carter Malkasian in his recent book on the war in Afghanistan says Ashraf Ghani as president had felt “centralized reform” was the strategy to defeat the Taliban and raise the country into modernity. Malkasian also points out what turns out to be quite a prescient passage in Ghani’s own book, Fixing Failed States (2009).
“In the twentieth century, illegitimate networks will not be conquered except through hierarchical organizations that have legitimacy. Solutions to our current problems of insecurity, poverty, and lack of growth all converge on the need for a state-building project,” Ghani’s book states as quoted by Malkasian in The American War in Afghanistan: A History (2021).
Of course, Ghani’s state-building vision was never realized – in fact hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted on failed reconstruction projects under – and as a result of – his corruption-plagued regime. In addition, Ghani, despite his deep concern with the poverty-stricken conditions of his country, decided to flee and may have stolen millions on his way out right before the Taliban captured Kabul.