Mike Pouraryan
The Taliban in the driver's Seat?!??
Over the last twenty four hours, I have seen some very curious statements from Senior U.S. officials. Secretary Gates noted during his "walk-about" in the region on how the Taliban have become part of the POlitical Fabric of the Country. General McCrystal, has been making noises about the Taliban being brought into a power-sharing arrangement.
Such developments are amongst a series of reports and comments that seems to be the order of the day now. This underscores the scepticism that many of us have had in the fallacy of the "business-as-usual" approach that has been the order of the day. I welcome such comments because there seems to be a realization that a long-term solution to the Afghan Problem will not be possible without the involvement of the Taliban.
For the Taliban to get engaged, this does mean that they need to let go of their dogmatic views and look ahead. They need to embrace modernity. It cannot be done piecemeal for the sake of political expediency. There is also the sheer financial toll on the country: 720 Million Dollars a day for both wars and counting. This cannot be sustained long-term.
Such developments are amongst a series of reports and comments that seems to be the order of the day now. This underscores the scepticism that many of us have had in the fallacy of the "business-as-usual" approach that has been the order of the day. I welcome such comments because there seems to be a realization that a long-term solution to the Afghan Problem will not be possible without the involvement of the Taliban.
For the Taliban to get engaged, this does mean that they need to let go of their dogmatic views and look ahead. They need to embrace modernity. It cannot be done piecemeal for the sake of political expediency. There is also the sheer financial toll on the country: 720 Million Dollars a day for both wars and counting. This cannot be sustained long-term.
