Is Afghanistan Doomed As A "Failed State"?

I remember Afghanistan in the 1970's as one of the poorest countries in the world. Yet it proudly and capably fulfilled its role as a neutral buffer between empires, a role inherited from the days of the "Great Game" but still valid in those of the Cold War. Wise governance was bringing about a slow but steady improvement in the quality of life, particularly for women, and this was especially true during the short-lived republican period that followed the bloodless coup which had overthrown the Monarchy in 1973. - Is Afghanistan Doomed As A "Failed State"? - Ambassador Carlo Ungaro
Afghanistan: The Final Curtain Call for NATO?