The White House has reportedly ordered its diplomats to hold direct talks with the Taliban. The New York Times says that several Afghan and American officials have confirmed the shift in American policy. Although neither side has yet officially confirmed the report, a series of visits by American officials to Afghanistan over recent weeks add credibility to the policy shift. The White House’s order to top American diplomats to engage in direct talks with the Taliban, if confirmed, is a major breakthrough in the efforts to break the gridlock, which also satisfy one of the main demands of the Taliban to talk directly with the Americans prior to holding any talks with Afghan government.
One factor leading to the failure of all peace talks so far, at least according to the Taliban, was the refusal of Americans, who had ousted the Taliban regime, to enter direct negotiations with the militants. The Americans long refused to talk directly to the Taliban apparently under the ploy that it would question the sovereignty and independency of Afghan government. The official American position on Afghan peace until now was to pave the way for, and support an Afghan-led, Afghan owned peace process, so the new shift in American policy is a quantum leap for the stalled Afghan peace process.
It is right that agreement between Afghan sides is a key condition to achieve peace in the country, yet it was not possible to exclude the United States, as one of the major actor in Afghan war, of peace talks, especially when the Taliban have long rejected direct talks with Kabul, and instead insisted on talks with Washington. To break the stalemate, Americans had to engage in direct talks with the Taliban, as it was the only option to clear the path for intra-Afghan dialogue. It is a major step if the US-Taliban engagement jumpstarts a successful peace process to end Afghan conflict.
If Washington officially expresses its willingness to pursue direct talks with the Taliban, it will meet a major demand of the Taliban to enter peace process. The Taliban will be responsible for all the consequences if they continue to fight despite Kabul’s unconditional peace offer and Washington’s willingness to hold direct talks with them. The insurgents should grab the opportunity to join mainstream politics and pursue their goals through a peaceful struggle. They should put an end to the decades-long tragedy and killing of their fellow Afghans under the pretext of fighting against the United States.