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Ten
Lessons for Nation-Building
Zalmay Khalilzad
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Any effort to build
the post-war order must be based on a fundamental
understanding of the aspirations or political center
of gravity of a newly liberated society and must be
implemented by civilian and military leaders who know
how to align the United States with those goals.
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If U.S. military
forces are used to effect regime change or are
deployed to stabilize a country after a regime has
been toppled by internal forces, it is vital for the
United States to position itself as an ally, not a
conqueror or occupier, and to ensure that indigenous
leaders take ownership of the new order.
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Intensive political
and diplomatic engagement with national leaders is
needed to craft a national compact among competing
groups and to form a partnership to execute a mutually
agreed strategy for reconstruction.
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The United States
must size and configure its footprint to avoid
creating unnecessary friction or over-reliance on any
one instrument of policy.
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Post-Conflict
reconstruction involves the reconstitution of a
country's political elite. Success depends on the
emergence of an elite that has roots in the society
and the vision and capability to build a new and
better political order.
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Effective
communication is vital to the success of any
reconstruction program.
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In post-conflict
settings, the United States should utilize a flexible,
multilateral model backed up by an energetic and
robust American policy and program.
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If neighboring
countries can help or harm our effort, the
United States
should engage them and shape their conduct to the
extent possible, even if we have deep differences with
those countries.
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A closely
integrated civil-military structure and set of
policies and programs are the best way to achieve
success.
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Success requires
the U.S. government to provide adequate resources and
to find more efficient ways to operate.
July 18, 2005
Source: "How to
Nation-Build" by Zalmay Khalilzad, The National
Interest, Number 80, Summer 2005.
Updated 7/18/05
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