| It would help greatly if Pakistan's ISS were to stop financing, training, and directing the Taliban, as well as providing them safe havens for rest and recuperation on the Pakistani side of the border... |
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
interlocutors have been engaging in shuttle diplomacy over the past several months, with the Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...i capital Doha the usual venue for their rendezvous, the murderous Moslems have been continuing their violent activities inside Afghanistan. Last week, the Taliban announced the start of the ’spring offensive’, a dreaded annual ritual that signals the start of the fighting season as the weather in Afghanistan turns warmer. The offensive comes in the wake of an operation launched by the Kabul government against the Taliban last month. Moreover, as the Taliban and the Kabul government continue to fight, the UN has lifted a travel ban on a number of senior figures of the militia, ostensibly to allow them to attend peace talks.
To many, it might appear strange that the Afghan Taliban are suing for peace on the one hand, and continuing to wage war on the other. However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie...
such tactics have been used by both states and murderous Moslems throughout history, and are part of strategic calculations. From the outside, it appears that the Taliban are continuing with their violent activities in order to approach the Americans from a ’position of strength’ at the negotiating table. Though the ethical and moral justification for this practice may be questionable, the fact is that the Taliban have managed to sustain their campaign against the US-backed Kabul government, and the only way to end the violence would be to keep engaging with the group and bring them to terms. The onus is on the Americans to expedite the grinding of the peace processor so that a negotiated settlement can be reached. However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie...
the Taliban’s insistence of keeping out the Afghan government is unacceptable; they must shed their rigidity and talk to the elected government in Kabul. In fact, in the next phase of negotiations, Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..’s representatives and those of the Taliban should meet directly, facilitated by regional states and the international community. Ultimately, foreign elements can play a supporting role, but the grinding of the peace processor must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. And where needed, Pakistain can offer its good offices to help end this bloody war, that has not only affected Afghanistan, but has also had a major impact on this country.