Nation-building is a term used to describe deliberate efforts by a foreign power to construct or install the institutions of a national government, according to a model that may be more familiar to the foreign power but is often considered foreign and even destabilising. Nation-building is typically characterised by massive investment, military occupation, transitional government, and the use of propaganda to communicate governmental policy.
The term "nation-building" usually carries a connotation of futility and failure —efforts which may appear to be noble but are destined to bring disaster. The idea is controversial because it has overtones of imperialism and colonialism, whereby local populations view the foreign power as an oppressor attempting to impose a foreign system and culture.
