Ten Lessons for Nation-Building
Zalmay Khalilzad
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The United States
must size and configure its footprint to avoid creating unnecessary
friction or over-reliance on any one instrument of policy.
- 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.
- Effective
communication is vital to the success of any reconstruction program.
- In post-conflict
settings, the United States should utilize a flexible, multilateral model
backed up by an energetic and robust American policy and program.
- 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.
- A closely
integrated civil-military structure and set of policies and programs are
the best way to achieve success.
- 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