Apparently they believe that "the Taliban is not monolithic. Reports out of Afghanistan reflect a splintering among Taliban leaders, with some offering to take part in a democratic system and allow girls to go to school." More here. "Our view on Afghanistan: Talk to the Taliban?" from USA Today, October 29 (thanks to Jeffrey Imm):
Negotiations might help as part of broad strategy to defeat al-Qaeda. A new, once preposterous, idea is gaining ground: Negotiate with the Taliban. Yes, that's right — the fundamentalist Islamic extremists who once ruled Afghanistan, who harbored 9/11 masterminds Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri and their terrorist training camps before the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, and who continue to be al-Qaeda's allies and protectors.Well, if Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are reaching out to the Taliban -- all Muslims who put a premium on sharia and despise the infidel world -- what are we waiting for?After the invasion,Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders fled to Pakistan's wild northwest region, where they launch attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. U.S. intelligence agencies say any new attack on the U.S. would likely originate in the Taliban/al-Qaeda training camps in Pakistan.
Yet opening communications with the Taliban is an option being considered by a range of leaders and experts, including the former U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, who's now in charge of Iraq and Afghanistan as head of Central Command.
[...]Talking to the Taliban might be a long shot, but perhaps not quite as long as some suspect if the goal is simply to get its leaders to betray al-Qaeda. On Tuesday, Pakistani and Afghan political and tribal leaders agreed to establish contacts with the Taliban. Saudi Arabia has already facilitated informal talks.
Further, the Taliban is not monolithic. Reports out of Afghanistan reflect a splintering among Taliban leaders, with some offering to take part in a democratic system and allow girls to go to school. It's not unimaginable that they might, with the right pressure or incentives, help deliver al-Qaeda leaders. The point is that no options are possible unless explored.
[...]The U.S. badly needs a winning strategy in Afghanistan — one that does not cripple the U.S. economy and military for many more years in pursuit of the unattainable. Talking to the Taliban? Time to hold our noses and at least be open to the idea.
God, why talk to them? What can be accomplished? This is why we need to isolate ourselves from the Muslim world. If Muslims in the Free World are so quick to defend sharia let's just send them to live under it in real Islamic paradises. Then stop dealing with sharia nations on the international scene altogether, stop the jizya, and seal our borders. But never, ever talk to the Taliban, Iran, or any other totalitarian psychos like them. China seems like America compared to them.
Good cop, bad cop...all over again.
The "moderate" Talibanis give up the armed struggle and in return are given positions of power in the new government, where they push for ever-more extremist interpretations of Islam, and where they can give stealth assistance from the inside to their former comrades on the outside who will then intensify the lessor Jihad.
Last night Frontline had a great documentary on the war in Afghanistan. One story they told was how the Taliban in one province were paid 500K to "make peace". Of course, they didn't....just took the money and thumbed their noses.
You can talk to them all you want, they just lie and lie, as is allowed under their religion. Why we would waste our time is beyond me.
Well that sounds like a good idea, lol
Lets just wait until they get hold of some nuclear material, then we can really have a nice cosy chat by the fireside.
"The Taliban is not monolithic."
-- from the story above
Of course it isn't. There are extreme radical extremists and there are moderate extreme radical extremists and there are radical moderate extremists and there are moderate radical moderate extremista and there are moderate immmoderate radical moderate extremists and so on.
An interesting book I am currently reading is, by Charles Allen, "God's Terrorists", about the origins of the Wahabi cult - Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, India. The British response was telling; a mixture not unlike what is seen today. For instance, three Wahabis held under suspicion during the Mutiny of 1857 but released for lack of evidence (and given grossly fawning apologies and compensation) were later found to be guilty...eventually the British suspected ALL Moslems, with good reason, as we see today. Get rid of the radicals, and more magically appear - from the ranks of the "moderates" presumably.
THis is lunacy, absolute lunacy! I agree with jdam
100% that we should not talk the taliban, Iran, Syria or any of these wacko islamofacists. There is nothing to be gained. Even if there is a splintering among taliban leaders, we should not lower ourselves and talk to them. Let them
kill each other off and help us and the
Afghanistani people who want Real peace.
Divide and conquer. Winter campaigning. Something Tribal societies have never been able to defend against.
The Taliban will talk and talk, take and take, and in the end do what Osama and Mullah Omar tell them to do...
I'm all in favor of talks, preferably however, over the phone.
The kind of talks where we say "you have 6 hours to turn over your leadership and disarm. Missiles will launch in 4 hours. There is a 2 hour window for disarming them in the air. After that, well ... none of this will matter any more".
stop the jizya, and seal our borders.
Posted by: jdamn at October 29, 2008 3:35 PM
One can blog away until cows come home but the only way to make the above happen is to STOP THE POLITICIANS who open borders and pay jizya.
Talk to the Taliban? LOL! There is a very good reason why the Israeli Government and mothers of two-year-olds know why it is a foolish waste of time to negotiate with terrorists.
It lowers you to their level, it never ever works, and it encourages more bad behavior by validating the tantrum.
Negotiations might help as part of broad strategy to defeat al-Qaeda.
Here's negotiating for you:
Al Qaeda, we will leave you alone. Your supporters will also be left alone.
What's the catch?
The catch is that henceforth not a single Muslim will be allowed to enter the US. We know that there are Muslims already here, so there's a second catch: the next attack on American soil (which includes embassies) by any Muslim claiming the right of jihad will result in the destruction of the Grand Mosque.
People of Afghanistan, it's your country. If you want freedom, YOU will fight for it. We are going home. Nice knowing you.
Apparently they believe that "the Taliban is not monolithic..."
So not only do we have to believe that Islam is "not monolithic", now the Taliban is "not monolithic". What next? Al Qaeda is "not monolithic"? Maybe bin Laden himself is "not monolithic"--maybe the left side of his brain is "extremist" but the right side is "moderate", his left nut is "radical Wahhabi" but his right testicle is "traditional".