Structural Weakness of Nation-State Building in Afghanistan

Bodin, Montesquieu, Ratzel, and Lucien Febvre mentioned the impact of geography on historical and political treads. Geographical determinism means that geographical environment overshadows the destiny of people. One of the most important issues in geographical and historical fields as well as in political history is the boundaries of states and their security. Meanwhile, ethnic mosaic communities pose serious threats against the security of borders. Today, these communities exist in a vast geographical range extending from southwest Asia to Africa. Therefore, a proper understanding of political developments in Afghanistan is not possible without studying its ethnic geography and mosaic society.Afghanistan undergoes the crisis of ethnic geography. Centrifugal forces have begun to fight against the central government and against each other to maximize their power, this has resulted from geographical-ethnic situation of Afghanistan and its ethnic-cultural diversity. The lack of domestic authority has intensified the military conflicts between various ethnic groups. Also, the geographical situation of Afghanistan, which makes it a buffer state, has undermined the structure of the central government. In fact, geographical determinism imposes the status of a buffer state on Afghanistan. Today, we witness a "failed state" in Afghanistan resulting in ethnic confrontations and the collapse of its national sovereignty.