A construção da paz local por organizações não governamentais no conflito afegão: o caso dos médicos sem fronteiras (2009-2021)

Abstract

This study analyzes the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in promoting local peace within the context of the Afghan conflict, focusing on the case of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) between 2009 and 2021. The central question seeks to understand how MSF contributed to the construction of local peace amid the war in Afghanistan. The research adopts a qualitative approach, grounded in a literature review and a case study. Thetheoretical framework draws on Johan Galtung’s contributions (1969, 1985, 1996) to Peace Studies, with emphasis on bottom-up approaches and the local turn as developed by authors such as Mac Ginty and Richmond (2013), as well as Stedman’s (1997) concept of spoilers, given that the dynamics and limits of local peace constitute the core of the analysis. The findings indicate that, despite the intensification of the conflict, MSF’s local engagement, focused on the population’s immediate needs, expanded access to healthcare and mitigated the impacts of violence on vulnerable communities, thereby contributing to the promotion of local peace. However, significant limitations emerged, particularly when the interests of armed actors interfered with humanitarian action, at times exhibiting spoiler behavior by interrupting or hindering peace initiatives. In some episodes, especially involving the Taliban and, at one specific moment, even the United States, such actions directly affected MSF’s operational capacity. The study concludes that although MSF supported local peace efforts, its contribution remained limited and temporary due to the volatility of the Afghan conflict and the occasional presence of these spoilers.