AFGHANISTAN Nation Building or Destruction of a Nation

People seem to be wondering about the war of 20 years, two trillion dollars, over 100.000 dead, millions displaced and then a country left worse off than it was before the war started.

How could the “nation-building” go so wrong? Was it because it started with an invasion, forced top-down with military might ignoring the cultural fabric, customs and traditions, relying on the warlords, imposing hand-picked Governments with no proper institutions and writ?

Was “nation-building” ever the real purpose in the first place, as proclaimed by the intruders, or just a post-justification of the invasion?

Would capitalist countries ever make such huge “investments” and “sacrifices” to selflessly help to build democracy and protect women’s rights?

Was it just another enterprise led by global capitalism and neo-liberalism, a “business venture” under the guise of bringing a self-serving version of democracy, as in many other countries before and after Afghanistan?

How many…