Scott Seward Smith focuses on Afghanistan's 2004 presidential election--the first popular election ever held there--as he explores the painstaking attempt by the United Nations to develop democratic institutions in the country. Smith thoroughly describes the personalities, policies, bureaucracies, and external factors that shaped the faltering transition process from 2001 through 2009. He also points to the missed opportunities that contributed to the flawed elections of 2009. Arguing that the failure to give sufficient weight to the importance of institution building led to the crisis of confidence and the resurgence of warlord politics that we see today, he sheds light not only on what has gone wrong in Afghanistan, but also on the prospects for Afghan democracy.