October 27, 2017
Putting Peace Out of Reach
Despite the past week of violence that rocked Afghanistan, including a wave of major Taliban attacks on Afghan security forces, the Trump administration appears to still be holding the door open for a negotiated settlement. The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, recently credited President Donald Trump's commitment to an enhanced and open-ended military presence in Afghanistan with setting the conditions for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. And in his first trip to the region, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reaffirmed the United States would fight the Taliban and pursue "a reconciliation process leading to a peace process and [the Taliban's] full involvement and participation in government."
If this is the case, then the administration's impending decision – as reported this week – to shutter the Taliban's political office in Doha, Qatar is misguided at best.
There are several possible rationales for closing the office. One is that the political office gives the Taliban unfounded legitimacy and allows it to conspire with other regional actors. Likewise, it is possible that U.S. and Afghan officials who believe negotiation should begin after the Taliban is weakened militarily see the office as a hindrance. Or perhaps there is simply a sense that "there was little evidence that the office had influence" with the Taliban leadership and, with U.S. forces staying in Afghanistan indefinitely, the office no longer has much utility. Even if all these reasons were sound, they are simply not good enough to countenance the decision.
Read the full op-ed in U.S. News and World Report.
More from CNAS
-
To Understand the Middle East’s Future, Follow the Cranes
Commentary
The Middle East exemplifies the reality that control of infrastructure has always meant more than commerce. That competition is already underway. Follow the cranes....
By Eitan Danon
-
Rethinking Treasury's Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Office
Commentary
The United States does not need a new department. It needs its existing economic statecraft apparatus to work—better resourced, better organized, and better calibrated to a th...
By Alex Zerden
-
Daniel Silverberg on Amanpour & Company
Video
National security expert and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security Daniel Silverberg joined Prof. Mehran Kamrava on Amanpour & Company to discuss Sec...
By Daniel Silverberg
-
Podcast
Indo-Pacific Security / Middle East Security
The Global Power Shift No One Is Talking About – And Who’s Driving ItMost people see the world as the U.S. vs. China. But the real power shift is happening elsewhere. Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security and a former ...
By Richard Fontaine
