Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- Notes -- 2 The unravelling of Afghanistan -- Afghan society -- The development of the Afghan state -- The crises of 1978-1979 -- The Soviet-Afghan War -- Post-Soviet turmoil: Mujahideen and Taliban -- Notes -- PART 1: Statebuilding and reconstruction -- 3 Statebuilding: Challenges and pathologies -- Conundrums of statebuilding -- Design flaws -- Pathologies of the state -- State, society and security -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 4 Political development: Mass, elite, and institutional dimensions -- Dimensions of political development -- Mass dimensions -- Elite dimensions -- Institutions and networks -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 5 Reconstruction: A critical assessment -- Some context -- Reconstruction and politics: some key choices -- Some lessons from the reconstruction experience -- Conclusions -- Notes -- PART 2: Democracy and elections -- 6 Democracy and legitimation: Challenges in the reconstitution of political processes -- Concepts of 'democracy' -- Statebuilding and legitimation -- The 'right to democratic governance' -- Limits of electoral processes -- Transition challenges in Afghanistan -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 7 Afghan elections: From the sublime to the ridiculous? -- Some background -- The appropriateness of democratic choice -- The constitutional framework for elections -- The new electoral era: 2004 and 2005 -- The experience and lessons of 2009 and 2010 -- The crisis of 2014 -- Conclusion -- Notes -- PART 3: Law and human rights -- 8 The rule of law and the weight of politics: Challenges and trajectories -- Approaches to the rule of law -- Law in Afghanistan -- Challenges in establishing the rule of law -- Afghan experiences after 2001 -- The 2010-2011 'Special Court' affair