The Impact of Geographic Space Structure on Centralization and Decentralization in Afghanistan

Abstract

One of the main tasks of spatial thinkers and actors in political geography (including geopolitical scientists, geographers, and political managers) is to identify and analyze the geographical factors that affect the political system. These factors exist in all geographical spaces—especially in their structural dimension—in various forms, and they play a decisive role in the formation of centralism and centrifugalism in countries. Afghanistan, as a geographical unit, has witnessed the activity of both centripetal and centrifugal forces over the past hundred years, especially at critical historical turning points, to the extent that these dynamics have challenged the institutionalization and stability of its political systems. Given this issue, the main research question is: How does the structure of Afghanistan’s geographical space affect the formation and activity of centripetal and centrifugal forces? This study was conducted as a theoretical case study using a qualitative (descriptive-analytical) method within a functionalist geographical framework. Data were collected through a documentary research method. The main goal of the study is to diagnose and identify the factors influencing centralization and decentralization within Afghanistan’s geographical structure. The findings show that Afghanistan’s geographical structure is heterogeneous across three dimensions: 1. elements of the natural environment; 2. elements of human society; and 3. elements of the man-made environment. If the government fails to manage this structural heterogeneity, it will result in the emergence of divergent political ideologies and continuous shifts in the balance of power, either in favor of centripetal or centrifugal forces.