Publication

This report argues that since 2002, Afghanistan’s transition has been fitful. Development flourishes in urban centers; laws broadly reflect constitutional principles; civil society and media proliferate; and 2014 marked the first democratic transition of presidential power in Afghan history. Yet the country remains hobbled by systemic corruption, violence, and political instability. Economic opportunity is fleeting; informal governance and judicial structures compete with state institutions; and enforcement and accountability are weak. Afghanistan’s progress is laudable, but initial confidence in a rapid and comprehensive transition was naive. Today’s Afghanistan remains in need of continued and better-tailored international support matched by committed and accountable Afghan leadership.