I don't remember the question, but it had to do with a society of tribes and tribal warlords and the movement from such a society to that of the nation state. The idea I used was "transfer of loyalty.
People of tribes, people are virtually forced to join a tribe or clan, Such a tribe or clan may be based on ethnicity, religion, and simple authoritarian power. The tribe provides security, social significance and a sense of belonging, and economic opportunity. People will only leave such tribes when it is no longer meting some of the basic needs and there is a real alterative and people see it as viable and productive for them.
In the West the key was industrialization which dew people to cities, with formation of institutions processes, and structures to form and support the nation state. In fact, few if any areas have formed strong and enduring nation states which have not gone through industrialization. On the other hand, look at today's failed stated in Africa and the Middle Est. They and most Moslem countries are all dominated by ethnic and/or religious tribes and have not gone through full industrialization.
China is another example of transfer of loyalty. When the Communists took over in the late 1940s, they removed hundreds of tribal warlords, took away all of their wealth and property, and either killed them or humiliated and "re-educated" them. hey broke down the tribes and forced their people to look to the state for security, opportunity and meaning. Industrialization and formal nation state institutions and processes followed.

In short, transfer of loyalty and industrializations are key ingredients to the formation of enduring nation states. Given the lack of those factors and the tribal nature of those :countries, American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan were doomed to failure.

@wordywalt Good idea, well worth quoting again, thank you. On the last subject, I think as well that American interventions were doomed to failure due to short termism as well, it takes fifty years to win a war, to change hearts and minds, and yes to get societies on the way to nation states building industries and welfare systems, quick campains intended to impress voters at home will never work.