I cannot make heads or tails out of the front-page Dexter Filkins story in the New York Times. It sounds like a rather serious and somewhat sophisticated effort to negotiate an end to fighting in Afghanistan, but it also sounds like it might be completely hopeless. I guess I am glad that the effort is being made, but wonder why these details are leaking out two weeks before the election. The timing makes me more than a little skeptical, but it’s not like there is nothing going on.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Speaking about why the hell this is so important now:
Virginia Thomas Leaves Anita Hill a Voicemail Asking for An Apology — Hill Says No
What is the world would possess Ginny Thomas to try to get Anita Hill to “apologize” for something that happend 19 DAMN YEARS AGO???
Is this Ginny Thomas an alcoholic? Is she on drugs???
Seriosly, why now?
I just saw that story too…and had the same reaction: WTF?
Apparently Brandeis University (Hill’s employer) are treating it as a threat.
Yeah, Brandeis reported to the FBI. Clearly Thomas’ wife has stalker tendencies, or else is drunk dialing people in anger.
“what you did with my husband”?
Okay Ginny, you have a good day too.
Anita Hill wanting to be done with all this crap, but it would be AWESOME if she made a public statement that riled Ginny up further, something like “Sure, I’d love to hear an apology from Clarence Thomas for the abuse he inflicted on me. Get back to me when you have that apology ready!!”
It’s very encouraging. I remember watching Obama give that speech on more troops for Afghanistan and it seemed he was absolutely miserable with the choices he had to make. I hope this is another “no drama Obama” move to get us out sooner rather than later and screw the top brass of the military industrial complex that’s keeping this war dragging on.
sailed some time ago. And the “top brass” isn’t making it drag on. Barack Obama is the Commander-in-Chief.
Just as there are factions of the Taliban, there are factions of the ISI. Pakistan has two primary national interests in the Taliban; domestic security in Quetta province and the use of the Taliban to represent Pakistani interests in Afghanistan. I doubt that there is division on that in the ISI. The public skepticism is most likely more caution that without Mullah Omar being drawn into the discussions eventually any support by the Pakistani government would be met with trouble in Quetta.
The action of the Haqqani network is the result of the Pakistani offensive in the Northwest Territories and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. And the diplomacy that the Pakistani government has carried out with respect to the Haqqani network. We will see if this results in the turning over of any remaining al Quaeda fighters to NATO (which might not be the same as turning them over to the US diplomatically). If al Quaeda is delivered, the first purpose of US fighting disappears. If the Taliban negotiate a government settlement, they can participate in the development of a status of forces agreement that provides the US a means of exit. Whether that produces a long-term stable Afghan government depends on Afghan politics, not the US presence.
It is hopeful as long as you understand that hope the possibility of change in spite of your rational analysis of the situation.
I don’t think that the timing is fishy. The strategy seemed to be to put pressure on the Taliban factions in the Northwest Territories and FATA that had sought to destabilize Pakistan. The flooding of the Indus put the timing of the completion of that off. That might have provided some momentum for negotiation. Karzai very much wants some sort of agreement and has been trying to distance himself from the US. The argument that an agreement would facilitate the US leaving sooner rather than later might have gained some traction with some Taliban factions. Reports on this have been leaking out for about a month now; this is the first long piece of analysis of that information. And there was some sort of meeting of US diplomats with Iranians at the UN about the future of Afghanistan.
I’ve read stories about negotiations with the Taliban for months. This has been going on for a while.