It's time to talk to the Taliban

After almost ten years of war in Afghanistan, coalition leaders and Afghan president Hamid Karzai are beginning to talk about talking to the Taliban. Some see this as a sensible and humane course of action – a way to end the bloodshed and move towards peace in the region, which will have to involve bringing the Taliban back into the fold if it is to last. Others see it as an admission of defeat, a surrender to the Taliban’s unacceptable regime and a concession to terrorists, as well as a betrayal of ordinary Afghans and the hundreds of coalition soldiers who have already died.

Agree

Now is the best time to talk

The Taliban are no longer the internationally dangerous force they were in 2001, and the Afghan army and police force are getting stronger all the time. So we are now in a strong enough position to enforce a deal which prevents Afghanistan being used as a launch pad for attacks on the West, and destabilising the region. This is what we set out to do, and we can now achieve it. And the significant military progress that we have made in recent months means that there's no time to lose.

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Disagree

A deal is impossible in practice

The Taliban are not a monolithic enemy with a clearly defined power structure, like North Korea or Iran. Their leaders can only be reached by intermediaries carrying scraps of paper – they do not use telephones, which could be used to trace their location. And key decision-makers cannot be distinguished from small-time commanders who lead minor groups of fighters. So, even if the Taliban leadership can be talked round, it doesn't necessarily mean that all the grass roots insurgents around the country will drop their weapons.

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