In his latest contribution to this newspaper titled "Afghan peace deal on the skids", Rashed Rahman has articulated a highly informed argument on the Afghan conundrum. According to him, "The inherent problem with the US approach to a negotiated settlement of the war has been that Trump has exposed his hand even before the process began, and continued to emphasise his desire to withdraw and end the war before the Taliban conceded anything. Knowing the US president's pressing desire for withdrawal strengthened the Taliban's negotiating posture as well as their will to press home the strategic advantage they have gained on the battlefield by now. From the Taliban's point of view, there was no compelling reason to abandon their successful military, political and diplomatic strategy. The only surprise in this, if any, is the naiveté of the US in not seeing through the thinly disguised Taliban thrust for a total takeover of power after the US withdraws."

While endorsing what the writer has said I would like to bring under greater global spotlight the fact that the US had invaded this landlocked country in 2001-2002 without examining the extraordinary military history of this country. Unfortunately, however, the world's sole superpower is still unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. It ought to have recognized the legendary warrior culture of Afghanistan, which is vastly different from Iraq's.



Copyright Business Recorder, 2019

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