Check for web archive captures
Good News on Afghanistan
By maudeaster on 2010-01-28 07:29:01
What brings painful wars to an end is almost always negotiations. What determines how many soldiers and civilians die in
the process is how long it takes the parties to decide they need to negotiate seriously, to achieve some aims they want and
allow the other side to achieve some of its aims in the interest of ending the war’s destruction. Many of us remember that
half the casualties in Vietnam occurred after the Pentagon decided the war was lost, but before the US was willing to take as
serious seat at the negotiation table. So, the good news this week from Afghanistan is that there is a new chorus of voices
calling for negotiations with the leadership of the Taliban: * US General McChrystal has said that a political solution to the
conflict is the inevitable and right outcome. When asked if senior Taliban could have a role in a future Afghan government,
he said, “I think any Afghan can play a role if they focus on the future and not the past.” * An administration official was
quoted in the 1/27/10 New York Times saying, “Today, people agree that part of the solution for Afghanistan is going to
include an accommodation with the Taliban, even above low- and middle-level fighters. Administration officials say they are
considering Afghan President Karzai’s plan to reach out to leaders of the Taliban. Vice President Biden wants to reach out
because he wants to speed up the end of the US military occupation. * UN Special Representation Kai Eide called for some
senior Taliban leaders to be removed from a UN blacklist to pave the way for talks. “If you want relevant results, then you
have to talk to the relevant person in authority”, he said. * Afghan President Karzai is reported to be considering removing
Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, from the UN list, in addition to a campaign aimed at lower level Taliban
fighters... * For their part, some Taliban commanders have indicated a willingness to talk if their names are taken off the UN
list. Last September, Mullah Omar stated publicly that regaining power in Afghanistan was more important than the Al
Qaeda approach of global jihad. * Already the Taliban, the Karzai government, UNICEF and the World Health Organization
are collaborating on what some call “vaccination diplomacy”, a partnership to bring polio vaccine to children throughout
Afghanistan, including those in the significant portions of the country controlled by the Taliban. Vaccination teams carry a
letter with them from Mullah Omar urging all Taliban sympathizers to work with the campaign and instructing villagers to
take their children to be vaccinated. In the past year, the Pentagon’s perspective seems to have been that negotiations may be
inevitable, but let’s put them off until we can weaken the Taliban more through military efforts. In fact, that approach is one
of the planks of last fall’s decision to escalate the Afghan War. But the other planks of that decision look increasingly frail:
the US need for a viable partner in the Afghan government looks unlikely as President Karzai is unable even to get a cabinet
approved; US Ambassador Eikenberry’s recently released cable underlines serous doubts about the ability of the Afghan
military and police to take over security duties by 2013, with cripplingly high attrition rates and low recruitment; the
Pentagon’s plans to increase US troop levels are running behind schedule; and Taliban strikes are creating chaos in Kabul as
well as across the country. In short, negotiations now seem to be appearing more and more attractive. Too many people are
dying from the military conflict in Afghanistan. Each one of those lives — whether soldier or civilian, whether American or
Afghan, is valuable. Too much badly needed development is being postponed until the end of the fighting. The people of the
US and Afghanistan both have an interest in having political negotiations move forward.
