A Terrain Fit For Warlords

Afghanistan, where American troops will be staying for a while - at least until our fiery warlikeness is tamed - is mountainous. Very mountainous.

It is easy to think of it as mountain tops, but the Afghan people live in the valleys. Mountain tops are sprinkled, valleys connect. How the valleys connect determines how the people connect.

Do connections tend to follow a tree-like pattern?

Does the terrain itself limit the kind of government that can happen?

How does control, which depends on boundaries, traverse a tree-like pattern? There is always an uncontrollable outer edge.

What can government be?