The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) has said in a report that the United States has to protect the gains in Afghanistan besides terminating conflict in the region.
The plan is aimed at mitigating the threat of terrorism, instability, and conflict in the region, a US think-tank said adding: “Although considerable security, political, and economic progress has been made in Afghanistan, much remains to be done to attain long-term stability and extinguish the Taliban insurgency.”
Being described as a ‘status quo plus approach in Afghanistan,’ the report said: “In this respect, while the conflict in Afghanistan is no longer consistently in the public eye, it remains of great importance to the United States,” according to the report Going forward, US policy should aim to protect the integrity of the Afghan state and, toward that end, attempt to end the conflict in ways that mitigate the threats of terrorism, instability, and conflict in the region.”
The United States, the report went on a quoting to have needed to develop a strategy that could protect the gains in Afghanistan while terminating the conflict. “Regional options—resolving the India-Pakistan conflict, creating a neutral Afghanistan, or squeezing Pakistan—are too difficult to rely on alone.
Unilateral options—either pursuing major escalation or a complete disengagement—are equally implausible because of their high costs and risks, respectively, warned the report.
“Only limited approaches—moderately expanding the current commitment, seeking a political settlement, or fostering a long-term counterterrorism partnership—are left. Since a counterterrorism-only solution is unlikely to be efficacious, the United States should prioritize reaching a political settlement with the Taliban while continuing to bolster the Afghan state and its security forces,” the report continued.
Part of the plan, the report observed that “To be successful, Washington will need to empower the US ambassador in Kabul to oversee the administration’s entire strategy in Afghanistan; persuade the Afghan government to begin a serious national dialogue on political reconciliation, engage in direct talks with the Taliban; target the Taliban shura, if necessary, while inducing Rawalpindi to constrain the Taliban’s sanctuary in Pakistan; and maintain regional support for a political settlement in Afghanistan.
Indeed, this was the US and its key allies who have targeted Taliban in 2001, disintegrated them and forced them seek asylum in Tora Bora and other remote regions of the country or outside the border in Pakistan soil, where they have safe sanctuaries and training centers.
The international community, by taking such decision could essentially do what it want, but should develop a plan to could be able to win the heart of the people in Afghanistan, through suppressing terrorism and all those backing them to help the region get rid of the heinous phenomenon.
Billions of USD has been spent in Afghanistan, under a plan to eliminate terror and extremism, but due to lack of a proper program all went in vain, with nothing tangible witnessed by the Afghan people in reconstruction the cities and infrastructures, neither the country succeeded to welcome a lasting peace and security.
Under the so-called high peace council, which repeatedly being established in Kabul, nothing eye-catching had been still witnessed in peace restoration area in the country, but if both the government of Afghanistan and its key ally; the US decide to overcome the challenges, anything would be in place.
The last long gains could be preserved, terrorism could be eliminated, with helping the government go ahead successfully, in term of fighting finance and administrative corruption, restoring good governance and finally an inclusive stability could be ensured in the region.
Basically, the report could be a matter of welcome, but if continued by an additional follow-up to oversee what are being done to help the plan get success and welcomed by the Afghans and the regional people, because as it said, the US policy’s future toward Afghanistan would be effectively assessed with a closer examination of the current and evolving security, political, and economic landscapes and what impact it could lay on its strategic programs.
