The collaboration with the warlords in Afghanistan state building process

Although there have been some progress in several areas at the current stage of Afghanistan state building process which was started in 2001, the lack of complete security, authority and legitimacy has persisted as the main challenge. In this context, the aim of this thesis is to identify the negative effects of the collaboration with the warlords as local actors in Afghanistan state building process, and contribute to the conceptual approaches on the state failure, the warlords and the state building.The main assumption of this thesis is formulated as below.?The collaboration with Afghan warlords had helped the partial achievement of the political dimension of the state building and the creation of the Afghan government in the short term. However, this collaboration has obstructed the legitimate government which is able to control the entire country, and disrupted the provision of the enduring security and authority in the mid and long term.?The thesis is composed of four chapters such as the theoretical discussion on the failed states and the sate building, the collapse of the Afghan state, the state building after 2001, and the role of the warlords in the Afghanistan state building process.The negative effects of the collaboration with the warlords on the provision of the legitimacy, authority and the security of the Afghan state are studied in a way to cover the period between 2001 and 2011 and to include for the most part of the country. The period before 2001 is partially referred to reveal the historical back ground. It is made use of the reports by the expert international agencies in addition to the academic references to prepare the thesis. The results of the research and the study have proved that the collaboration with the warlords have created critical challenges on the provision of the legitimacy, authority and security. These are;-Contribution to the deterioration of the general security since 2002,-Frustration of the Emergency and Constitutional Loya Jirga meetings, 2004 and 2009 presidential elections, 2005 and 2010 parliamentarian elections through repression, use of militia and fraud,-Resistance to democratic reforms,-Continuation of the personal fiefdoms against the legitimacy and the authority of the central state,-Inter- warlords conflicts,-Refusing to obey DDR,-Resistance to DIAG,-Obstructing the formation of new Afghan security forces,-Harming the counter narcotics and judicial reform.Key Words1.Failed State2.State Building3.Afghanistan4.Warlord5.Legitimacy