Skip to content

Talking with the Taliban

2010 August 16
by Dave Anderson

The Karzai government in Afghanistan has been making a series of back-channel and plausibly deniable conversations with Quetta Shura Taliban(QST) leaders for most of a year now.  Karzai and his coterie of cronies know that the Americans, NATO and the rest of ISAF will be drawing down their support (both cash and combat troops) in the next couple of years.  They know that they need to face reality as it is instead of how they would like it to be, and that means dealing with Pashtun conservatives and tribal militias as a legitimate political force with political interests in Afghanistan.

The US government has been schitzo about talking with anti-Karzai government forces including various elements of the Taliban.  I’ve long contended that there should only be one red-line in any talks — a disavowal of support for any far-enemy terrorist groups, and then everything else is a local matter that can be subject to horse-trading.

It looks like the QST is making a bid for its local legitimacy to be recognized while also willing to concede some of its counter-counterinsurgency tactics of assassinations and non-governmental organization targeting.  The Guardian has details:

NATO and the United Nations are cautiously considering a Taliban proposal to set up a joint commission to investigate allegations of civilians being killed and wounded in the conflict in Afghanistan, diplomats in Kabul say…

The statement called for the establishment of a body including members from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, UN human rights investigators, NATO and the Taliban…

Such a body could conceivably act as a confidence building measure for future talks among various Taliban elements, the US, NATO, ISAF and the Karzai government. If such a body was established, and it successfully embarrassed Taliban elements from carrying out an effective night-letter and assassination campaign, that would aid in the delivery of a valuable public good — public security, so that would be a win for the US counter-insurgency strategy. At the same time, such a body would be a recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate military and political actor with legitimate interests in southern Afghanistan. This is something worth pursuing.

from → Afghanistan

One Response
  1. jcapan permalink
    August 16, 2010

    Setting aside whether Afghan police are up to the task, getting rid of the fucking mercenaries would be a huge step in the right direction. Only better outcome would complete US/NATO w/drawal (yesterday).

    And I love how The Guardian puts it: “David Petraeus, the US commander of Nato forces, has ordered his communications department to cast the Taliban in the most negative light possible.”

    I read critical riffs on the Petraeus Propaganda Push @ FDL & Digby’s yesterday that didn’t even mention the WH. Something about bucks, stopping of, springs to mind.

Comments are closed.