From the begining, it was clear that this project was merely an electoral gimmick for Donald Trump, not aimed at ending the war and violence in Afghanistan. Therefore, anyone who has been pleased with the positive outcome of this project should not have any hope for it after today.
It is likely that Donald Trump will lose in this election — as indicated by the polls. Assuming Donald Trump wins again, it is unlikely that the longevity of this project will be a priority for the new Trump administration.
One reason for this is the end of the utility of this project, and Donald Trump cannot run for a third term in the elections four years from now. Another reason is the failure and ineffectiveness of this project.
Despite nearly two months of face-to-face negotiations between the government delegations and the Taliban, they have not yet reached an agreement on key issues and topics under discussion.
The main reason for this deadlock is the excessive demands and intolerable attitudes of the Taliban. The group insists on demands that turn the peace project into a “win-lose” game. The meaning of this insistence, which has brought peace talks to a standstill, is that the Taliban do not value anything for the government and the people of Afghanistan. The meaning of this excessive demand is the failure of peace talks and the continuation of war.
The reason for these insistence and greediness is also clear. The excessive humility and supplication of Mr. Karzai and Ghani towards the Taliban over the past decade, on one hand, and the generous and heartfelt concessions of Zalmay Khalilzad and Donald Trump, on the other hand, have made the Taliban more audacious and greedy than ever before and less responsive to the demands of the government and the people of Afghanistan.
Therefore, the continuation of this situation and the extension of the stay of the government negotiating team in Doha will not be beneficial. Just as it has been a waste of time and resources and a loss of manpower so far, it will lead to more wasted time, more wasted resources, and fatigue and frustration of government representatives afterward. A few days ago, four of them returned to Kabul. It is time for the rest of them to be called back as well.
Looking forward to a positive outcome of the Doha peace talks has been nothing but naive optimism from the beginning. Those who were initially caught up in this naivety must have realized – particularly after the Taliban’s unjustified demands in the peace talks, the Taliban’s repeated violations, the expansion of violence in more than 20 provinces, the creation of tragedies in the capital and provinces, and attacks on educational institutions like Kawsar-e-Danesh and Kabul University – that hoping for a result from the negotiations with the Taliban is the continuation of that optimism and naivety.
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