The initial efforts toward state-building in Afghanistan began during the reign of King Amanullah (1919–1929) and continued into the republican period (2001–2021). Nevertheless, Afghanistan never developed strong and deeprooted institutions that are essential for the consolidation of state-building and the organization of the nation-state. The events of September 11, 2001, and the downfall of the first Taliban regime created a new opportunity for completing the state-building process, which also failed, ultimately leading to the Taliban’s renewed dominance over Afghanistan. The central question of this study focuses on identifying the reasons for the failure of state-building in Afghanistan during the republican era from 2001 to 2021. The hypothesis proposed in response is that Afghanistan’s multi-ethnic power blocs, by concentrating on the distribution of power and positions among their followers and affiliates, while neglecting the requirements and functions of state-building, paved the way for the failure and collapse of state-building in 2021. The method employed in this article is causal-explanatory, and the necessary data and information have been collected through documentary and library research

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