A Path to Reconstruction: Proverbs of Nation-Building (Perspectives‪)‬

The latest attempt to impose Pax Americana in the Middle East and Central Asia may not last for more than a few years, but history advises us to expect recurrent visions of the US Manifest Destiny. International efforts to reconstruct failed or destroyed states have regularly occurred since the mid-20th century. External attempts at nation-building--though they are really aimed at restoring effective states, not creating new nations--by one or a coalition of governments are neither new nor unique. Lessons have been accumulating for more than 300 years as dominant powers have engaged in regime change and post-conflict reconstruction, often in ignorance of previous efforts. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]