Abstract

Afghanistan currently consists of fragmented spaces, made up of active urban centres and stagnating peripheries where a predatory economy prevails under the protection of local authorities. This explains its heterogeneity. Under these conditions, stabilization can only be achieved by local, diversified actions; on the contrary, an ideological rhetoric and centralizing practices by the government may prove definitively helpless.Sébastien Pennes, former collaborator of various non-governmental organizations, notably in Afghanistan, works in the Political Affaires sector at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) since October 2005. From the North-East to Hazarajat (middle-land) and to the Great Paktya (South-Esat), he has always lived in the rural outskirts of the country.