Encouraging signs toward peace in Afghanistan
“The Taliban have realized that they can’t achieve military victory,” argues a senior Pentagon official. “They can try to wait the U.S. out, but the price is that they won’t be able to play in the political transition.”
The latest sign of rapprochement came last week in Chantilly, outside Paris, where the French government brokered a gathering of Afghan political leaders that included two representatives of the Taliban, Shahabuddin Delawar and Naeem Wardak. The meeting, organized by a French think tank called the Foundation for Strategic Research, was closely followed by U.S. officials…
The Taliban negotiators are part of what U.S. officials view as a “pragmatist” faction headed by Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the chief of the Taliban senior shura and the deputy to the group’s leader, Mohammad Omar. Opposing the pragmatists is a hard-line faction headed by Abdul Qayyum Zakir, a former Guantanamo detainee who is head of the Taliban military commission.
The pragmatists’ case for negotiation has been strengthened by Pakistan’s recent cooperation with the United States and Afghanistan in planning for the future.
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LOL. Yeah, I’m sure the Taliban are finally coming around.
Mark1971 on December 25, 2012 at 8:13 PM
Hittin’ the eggnog pretty hard there David, ain’tcha?
LegendHasIt on December 25, 2012 at 8:16 PM
Yeah sure. The Islamists had an epiphany.
Mimzey on December 25, 2012 at 8:20 PM
Walter Russell Mead has a sober take on this.
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/12/25/taliban-pretend-to-bend-on-rights-us-still-stuck/
Mark1971 on December 25, 2012 at 8:28 PM
So Ignatius’ “optimism” is founded in the idea that, if a sector of the Taliban embraces not killing Americans to have a say in Afghanistan’s politics, that will later prevent them from…what, exactly?
Also, could you imagine telling Americans in 2002 – even liberal Americans – that we would be forced by a lack of will to negotiate with, accept a promise of peace from, and recognize the legitimacy of the Taliban?
HitNRun on December 25, 2012 at 9:30 PM
Right, David Ignoramius.
Travis1 on December 25, 2012 at 9:35 PM
Sadly, yes. I did imagine exactly that, and in September of 2001. It just took us a few years longer than I feared it would.
Cylor on December 26, 2012 at 12:29 AM
“Peace in our time…[click]
Peace in our time…[click]
Peace in our time …” [click]
That worn-out needle’s stuck again.
profitsbeard on December 26, 2012 at 2:26 AM
What I figured on was a loud “Mission Accomplished” and a quiet retreat when it became obvious that trying to bring American democracy to Bronze-Age savages wasn’t going to work. But I didn’t count on the election of a ‘president’ so cowardly and stupid that he couldn’t even muster up the courage to leave a la Vietnam.
MelonCollie on December 26, 2012 at 10:03 AM