Jul 20, 2018
US-Taliban Peace Talks: An Opportunity For Peace?
The United States is planning to lead direct talks with the Taliban in an effort to end the 17 years of war in Afghanistan.
The New York Times recently reported that U.S. delegates have visited Kabul and Pakistan over the past several weeks to discuss the possibilities of US-Taliban talks. Last week, Secretary Pompeo visited Kabul and promised to support the Afghan government in peace negotiations.
Pompeo said the peace strategy announced last year by President Donald Trump, which focuses on added U.S. troops to combat terrorism and pressure the Taliban to negotiate with the Afghan government, will ensure Afghan peace and stability.
“The United States will support, facilitate, and participate in these peace discussions, but peace must be decided by the Afghans and settled among them. We expect that these peace talks will include a discussion of the role of international actors and forces,” Pompeo said.
On Tuesday, Gen John. Nicholson, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, stated that the U.S. is not replacing the Afghan government peace talks and that the “United States is not a substitute for the Afghan people or the Afghan government.”
The State Department added that “any negotiations over the political future of Afghanistan will be between the Taliban and the Afghan government.”
The Taliban praised recent comments, in part, because the Taliban do not want to negotiate with the Afghan government. “This is what we wanted and were waiting for — to sit with the U.S. directly and discuss the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan,” said Sohail Shahin, Taliban spokesmen in Taliban’s Qatar office, according to Aljazeera.
However, political leaders and many Afghans in Afghanistan believe that peace is only possible if Afghans lead the way. Only the Afghan people can win the war in Afghanistan. Neither the U.S. troops nor U.S. peace talks with the Taliban can create peace for Afghanistan. In fact, it may make it worse.
“We want to be involved in our own peace process and the Afghan government should discuss with the tribe elders, political parties and the Mujahidin leaders on what they want from this peace. Americans and international forces can’t help us.” Said Karimullah, a shopkeeper and retired history professor in Kabul during the recent ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government
In an interview the former Afghan President Hamid Karzai last month in Kabul, he stated “the Taliban want to negotiate with the U.S. because the Afghan National Unity Government is weak. The Taliban sees themselves as stronger than the Afghan government. They believe that only the U.S. has the power that they need.”
Karzai calls for an Afghan peace process led by the Afghans and implemented by the Afghans and believes that efforts by the Americans to inject themselves into these peace efforts will undermine the power and stature of the frail Afghan government.
Despite 17 years of continued U.S. and international community support, and the recent deployment of 4,000 additional American combat troops to Afghanistan, the Taliban has gained more territory controlling more than 40 percent of the county and suicide bombings continue to surge. The Taliban is clearly not willing to negotiate with the Afghan government.
“Peace is only possible in Afghanistan if it is an Afghan process. A pure process in which Afghans are involved in every aspect of the peace talks,” Karzai said.
Therefore, the current war machine philosophy in Afghanistan needs to be replaced by a “people-centric” policy that is suitable to achieve real peace in the region.
There is still a chance for peace. Afghans are hardworking people with the courage to build their homeland. Americans are thoughtful and passionate people that are willing to help Afghans win the peace. Together, the Taliban can be defeated — but this can and will only happen with the people of Afghanistan leading these efforts.
However, that the role of the United States in the peace process remains necessary to ensure other state actors, such as Pakistan, which continues to provide material support to the Taliban, push them to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table. Together peace can be achieved, but only through a recognition of the Afghan lead in these efforts.
Ahmad Shah Mohibi is founder and president of Rise to Peace, and a national security expert. Ahmad Mohibi is a published writer, as well as a George Washington University and George Mason University Alumni. Follow him on Twitter at @ahmadsmohibi
