Intra-Afghan negotiations are good news—but withdrawal remains the priority

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 2, 2020
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, representatives from the Afghan government and the Taliban agreed to a preliminary deal to proceed with peace talks. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:

“The Afghan government’s framework agreement with the Taliban to proceed with talks is good news for Afghanistan. The prospect of an actual peace deal remains distant, but this is a step in that direction. It is also good news because it should lessen political opposition to the United States withdrawing its forces by the May deadline as agreed to in the U.S. deal with the Taliban. That withdrawal is long overdue and in the U.S. interest.

“The United States should applaud this deal and continue to support talks diplomatically. U.S. troops, however, should not be kept in Afghanistan to somehow buttress peace talks. That is a recipe for missing the May deadline and resumed U.S.-Taliban combat. And given the still long odds of a stable peace deal, it’s a way to stay in Afghanistan for another decade or more.

“The U.S. interest in Afghanistan is to prevent international terrorism. That can be accomplished without ground troops, through long-range strikes, local partners, and the threat of renewed strikes against the Taliban if they fail to hold up their end of the deal. Continuing a failed nation-building campaign is a mistake.”