State Building, Political Progress, and Human Security in Afghanistan

Based on the Asia Foundation’s , "Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People." , the papers in this volume analyze survey data on the opinions and perceptions of Afghans towards government, public policy, democracy, and political and social change as interpreted by social scientists familiar with the region. The contributors comment on trends, patterns, and variations owing to Afghan geography, ethnicity, and other factors, and assess comparatively Afghanistan's situation vis-à-vis other countries in the region. By combining analysis of quantitative survey data with broader contextual interpretations, the papers together anchor a holistic appraisal of change in the underlying sociopolitical realities and history of Afghanistan.