Ralph Peters has an interesting column on Afghanistan in today’s New York Post. Peters directly addresses the difficulties of negotiating with the Taliban.<\/p>\n
\nTHE TALKING TRAP: AFGHAN FOLLIES<\/h3>\n
By Ralph Peters, New York Post, November 13, 2008<\/p>\n
NEGOTIATIONS are the heroin of the chattering classes, blinding them to every reality except the next fix they can inject into our foreign policy. The pushers – our delighted enemies – pile up strategic profits.<\/p>\n
Certainly, there are situations in which negotiations make sense, such as structuring trade terms or defining alliance contributions. But the notion that, if only we can sit down with our enemies, we’ll inevitably persuade them to love us is a deadly self-delusion.<\/p>\n
There’s a looming danger that President-elect Obama’s naive and profoundly anti-military cadres will misinterpret Gen. David Petraeus’ tactic of opening communications with Taliban elements and seek to make talks the centerpiece<\/em> of the new administration’s Afghan policy. If so, we might as well pack up and leave now.<\/p>\n
No American soldier should die just so diplomats can rack up frequent-flyer miles.<\/p>\n
Negotiations during a conflict only work to our advantage when we’re in a position of strength that threatens the enemy’s existence or when bloodied opponents have wearied of the fight. Both conditions applied in Iraq.<\/p>\n
They don’t<\/em> apply in Afghanistan. In Iraq, al Qaeda had worn out its welcome. The Sunni Arabs wanted<\/em> our help. In Afghanistan, Taliban-style Islamist fanaticism has a deep constituency. While most Afghans don’t want the Taliban back, a fierce minority does. And, unlike Iraq’s Sunni Arabs, the Taliban think they can win.<\/p>\n
The equation is simple: We kill them, or we lose. Fighting fanatics is a zero-sum game.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ralph Peters has an interesting column on Afghanistan in today’s New York Post. Peters directly addresses the difficulties of negotiating with the Taliban. THE TALKING TRAP: AFGHAN FOLLIES By Ralph Peters, New York Post, November 13, 2008 NEGOTIATIONS are the heroin of the chattering classes, blinding them to every reality except the next fix they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[194,73,193],"tags":[1374,308,307],"class_list":{"0":"post-987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-afghanistan","7":"category-international-affairs","8":"category-war-on-terror","9":"tag-afghanistan","10":"tag-negotiations","11":"tag-taliban","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfpI7-fV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4751,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/10\/video-lara-logans-keynote-speech-at-the-2012-bga-annual-luncheon\/","url_meta":{"origin":987,"position":0},"title":"Video: Lara Logan’s Keynote Speech at the 2012 BGA Annual Luncheon","author":"Jeff","date":"October 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Lara Logan of CBS News delivered a chilling warning to American policy makers and the American people during her keynote address to the Better Government Associations annual luncheon on Tuesday, October 2, 2012: Lara Logan, a correspondent for CBS\u2019 \u201c60 Minutes,\u201d delivered a provocative speech to about 1,100 influentials from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Afghanistan"","block_context":{"text":"Afghanistan","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/afghanistan\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/UXEsXAqO-DQ\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2804,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/01\/michael-yon-dont-kid-yourselves-were-in-serious-trouble-in-afghanistan\/","url_meta":{"origin":987,"position":1},"title":"Michael Yon: Don’t Kid Yourselves; we’re in Serious Trouble in Afghanistan","author":"Jeff","date":"October 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Michael Yon has spent more time in Iraq and Afghanistan than any other journalist. His dispatches from the front lines are required reading for anyone who wants to know what's happening at the pointy end of the war on terror so when\u00a0 he say we're in serious trouble you should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Afghanistan"","block_context":{"text":"Afghanistan","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/afghanistan\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2851,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/10\/weekend-briefing\/","url_meta":{"origin":987,"position":2},"title":"Weekend Briefing – Saturday, October 10, 2009","author":"Jeff","date":"October 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm going to be tied up with family all weekend but here's a collection of must read links: CBO: Budget deficit hit record $1.4T in 2009 - Associated Press Proposals to create jobs add up to second stimulus - Associated Press A Nobel for Obama - New York Sun Barack\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Afghanistan"","block_context":{"text":"Afghanistan","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/afghanistan\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3006,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/19\/fred-thompson-the-war-in-afghanistan-has-been-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":987,"position":3},"title":"Fred Thompson: The War in Afghanistan Has Been Lost","author":"Jeff","date":"November 19, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh boy, I wish Fred hadn't gone here but the said truth is someone had to say it out loud... From the Politico: Former Sen. Fred Thompson today intensified his party's criticism of President Obama's long deliberation over policy in Afghanistan, announcing that Obama's delay signals that \"the war has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Afghanistan"","block_context":{"text":"Afghanistan","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/afghanistan\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3042,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/02\/a-few-thoughts-on-obama%e2%80%99s-afghanistan-speech\/","url_meta":{"origin":987,"position":4},"title":"A Few Thoughts on Obama\u2019s Afghanistan Speech","author":"Jeff","date":"December 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"First off let me preface this by saying I didn't watch President Obama's speech last night, instead I read the transcript this morning. The first thing about his speech that struck me is no where in it did he mention victory... A fact noted by LA Times blogger Andrew Malcolm:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Afghanistan"","block_context":{"text":"Afghanistan","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/afghanistan\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":620,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/05\/how-bin-laden-got-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":987,"position":5},"title":"How Bin Laden Got Away","author":"Jeff","date":"October 5, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The New York Post has and interesting article about the battle for Tora Bora in 2001 that sheds new light on how Osama Bin Laden got away. Most of the the article rehashes what I've read previously... That the US relied on its allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan to block\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "War on Terror"","block_context":{"text":"War on Terror","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/war-on-terror\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/987\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}