A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AFGHANISTAN’S AND PAKISTAN’S PROCESSES OF STATE-BUILDING

Abstract

This thesis is a historical and theoretical study of Afghanistan and Pakistan processes of State-Building. In this research, based on the European pioneer model of state building, I am presenting a comparative analysis of Afghanistan and Pakistan state-building processes. The European pioneer states in state buildinghave experienced some trends during the process. Industrialization, Capitalism, Organized Crimes, Nationalism and modernization are the observable trends in European State-Building process. In this thesis, I am taking these trends of European State-Building Process and apply them on Afghanistan’s and Pakistan’ processes of State-Building. This study paves the way toward better understanding of the attempts of different Afghan and Pakistani governments geared toward the two countries’ State-Building process. Throughout my research, I found out that Afghanistan and Pakistan failed to successfully implement these trends in their State-Building process and thus still lag behind to function as a modern state (Nation-state). The thesis continues to answer the question of “if Afghanistan and Pakistan are not Nation-States, then what state organization they best fit in?” I find out that Pakistan fits better in category of a Military-State and Afghanistan fits best into the category of a Tribal-State. The reasons would be the frequent military domination of Pakistani affair by its military and domination of Afghanistan politics by the dominant ethnic group of Pushtons. At the end, I argue that Afghanistan and Pakistan along with other states needs to continue in their struggle to embrace the notion of nation-statehood, since nation-statehood responses to the issue of international peace, democratic values and economic development.