Change of Tack for the Taliban?
Afghanistan: Drastic Changes for the Taliban - The Daily Beast: "According to Zabihullah, a senior Taliban leader who is privy to deliberations inside the insurgency’s Quetta Shura, the ruling council’s political committee is rethinking its positions on a whole range of issues. The possibility of peace talks is only one of the items under review by the committee—which, as far as that goes, may have no more than limited control over the Taliban’s battlefield commanders, says Zabihullah, who uses only the single name and has proved in the past to be a reliable informant. The leadership is also debating the insurgents’ longstanding hostilities against the former Northern Alliance; the Taliban’s rejectionist stance toward the Afghan Constitution; and even the idea of participation in Afghanistan’s next presidential and National Assembly elections."
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/12/15/karzai-we-want-foreign-troops-to-leave/
ReplyDeleteI am sure Karzai is hearing more and more foot steps in his sleep.
Lets fast forward a bit, shall we?
Possible?
Iraq, Iran, Afghan, Pak, alliance backed and supported by China, and Probably Russia.
Pipelineistan [petro silk roads] is still the leading chokepoint.
That's quite a forecast. Not impossible by any means.
ReplyDeleteThe Taliban are a pragmatic insurgency so I wouldn't rule out any change of political positions. I can see them nominally accepting Afghanistan's central government so long as Karzai exits, and they retain control of their traditional territory in the south and east. Making peace with the Tajiks, however unstable, seems most farfetched, but Zabihullah makes a good point about Karzai being the enemy of Pashtun and Tajik alike. The Taliban should realize that retaking the north is impossible and that another civil war is pointless, although its negotiating feelers could easily be another ploy too.
ReplyDeleteParticipating in a binding political resolution is the most effective way of holding onto what they still have.