A Cheer for Trump’s Outreach to the Taliban

The New York Times ^ | 07 September 2018 | Douglas Lute and Denis McDonough

[Theoria]

Direct talks between America and the insurgents would be the best way to start diplomacy that might end the war in Afghanistan. U.S. officials have sought that goal in vain before, but now the time may be ripe.

In July, The Times reported that the Trump administration directed the State Department to open direct talks with the Afghan Taliban, to see whether formal talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are possible. Taliban officials soon claimed to have met with American diplomats, an assertion that American officials have not publicly commented on. This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced while on his way to Pakistan that Zalmay Khalilzad, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, would become an adviser on achieving reconciliation there.

We welcome those moves.

When we held high-level national security positions in previous administrations, we spent years attempting in vain to open diplomatic talks among the United States, the Afghan government and the Taliban; we believed that direct talks that would lead to a political accommodation among Afghans are the only way to end Afghanistan’s 17-year war. Now we think the Trump administration’s apparent choice to seek the same goal could mark an important milestone we could not reach.

[Theoria]

Douglas Lute was an adviser in the White House on policy toward Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2007 to 2013, then ambassador to NATO until 2017. Denis McDonough was the deputy national security adviser from 2010 to 2013, then White House chief of staff until 2017.

[Trumpisourlastchance]

We are being destroyed here, not in Afghanistan, not in Iraq, not in Syria, not in Yemen, not in Libya, not in Iran. We are >$120 Trillion in debt if you count unfunded liabilities.

Get us out of Afghanistan & build the Wall.

[TigersEye]

So now these guys write for the NY Times and are not advisors to Trump. Mmm hmm.

[MichaelCorleone]

I agree.

Irrespective of the ‘good’ we could do around the world, we have got MAJOR problems here that need solutions now - not a year from now.

Not the least of which is a soft coup is well underway on the only President standing between us and the abyss. The swamp is far wider and deeper than almost anyone imagined.

Bring our resources home and get it done here. We will pay a heavy price to delay much longer.

[Capt. Tom]

Direct talks between America and the insurgents would be the best way to start diplomacy that might end the war in Afghanistan.

Here is the deal: Turn your back on Allah and Muhammad and collaborate with us Kafirs, and our useful idiots in Afghanistan, and live a worldly peaceful existence.
When you pass away you can count on an eternity in hell.

How is that for a deal? - Tom

[VanShuyten]

Get these guy and Obama to host a meeting with the top Taliban in a remote area in Afghanistan.

Then you could kill two (or maybe a dozen) birds with one stone.