Hybrid Peace Ownership in Afghanistan: International Perspectives of Who Owns What and When

What does local ownership actually entail in the context of an international peace operation supporting sustainable development and stability? Who should own what? Moreover, when should local ownership be introduced? Using the case of Afghanistan as a fruitful example, this article suggests that ownership is key for understanding the interactions between international and local actors as it highlights the asymmetry of this power relation. In all three types of roles that the international actors can perform-intervenor; mentor, or facilitator such an asymmetric power relation exists. For Afghanistan, the result of the different approaches to local ownership has been a complex form of hybrid peace ownership where the international actors have become intertwined in almost all aspects of Afghan life. As the international actors are decreasing their involvement by moving from the role of intervenor to the role of mentor, the sustainability of development and stability in Afghanistan will undoubtedly be put to the test.